Reunion
by Andra Marie Mueller
Summary: The mysterious death of his closest friend reunites Doggett with his ex-wife and uncovers long buried secrets that will forever alter the lives of the agents of The X Files.
1. Chapter 1

" **REUNION"**

 **By Andra Marie Mueller**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This is very much an alternate universe story. While I have tried to follow canon wherever possible, the nature of the story dictated I take certain creative liberties with character and plot histories that have been established on "The X Files". Therefore, for my purposes, Mulder was suspended from the FBI, not fired, after the 8th season episode "Vienen"; he did not mysteriously disappear after the season finale; and the events depicted in Seasons 9, 10 and 11 did not happen.

 **DISCLAIMER** : All things _X Files_ are the legal property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions, 20th Century Fox, etc. I am merely letting them out to play. 😊

 _"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."_ **\- 1 Corinthians 13:1-2**

 **ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA**

 **November 19, 2002**

Blackness. No matter where he looked, that's all he could see. The rain pounding down on his car was loud enough to drown out the sound of the radio, and his headlights were barely able to illuminate more than a few feet in front of his vehicle.

"I thought it was supposed to be the fires of hell, not the rainstorms," he muttered aloud.

Lifting his left hand from the steering wheel, he shifted his arm and glanced at his watch, the illuminated numbers indicating it was close to 9:00 p.m.

"Damnit!" he swore. "Sarah's going to tan my hide for missing dinner again."

A sudden brightness caught his attention and he glanced up as the white glare of oncoming headlights filled his limited field of vision.

"What the…?"

The thought was left incomplete as a sudden screech of brakes and a horrendous crash signaled the collision of the two cars. He barely had time to register what was happening before the force of the impact sandwiched his car with him inside of it. The windshield shattered and hearing the crackle of the breaking glass was the last sensation he had before he felt a flash of searing pain, and then nothingness.

 **FBI HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON D.C.**

Assistant Director Walter Skinner was bored. He had spent the morning catching up on paperwork, then most of the afternoon sequestered in meetings, and was now feeling a bit of 'cabin fever'. More than ready to get some fresh air, he wandered out of his office and promptly collided with Monica Reyes.

"Agent Reyes, I'm sorry," he apologized quickly. "I didn't see you coming."

"That's all right, sir," Reyes responded. "I was reading my case notes and wasn't watching where I was going, either."

"You seem to be in a bit of a hurry," Skinner observed. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine. It's just that I promised Agent Doggett I'd get back to him about this file before I left for vacation, and I'm supposed to be at the airport in about an hour to catch my flight."

Just then a feminine voiced laced with a slight Southern accent addressed them. "Excuse me," she said.

The agents turned expectantly, and Skinner did a double take at the woman standing a few feet away. She was dressed in a black knee length skirt with a matching blazer and an ice blue blouse and was undoubtedly the most exquisitely beautiful woman he had ever seen. Medium tall and very shapely, she appeared to be in her mid to late thirties, with fair skin and dark blonde hair, and sapphire blue eyes that accentuated the sheer perfection of her face.

 _She's almost too beautiful to be real_ , Skinner thought.

Oblivious to Skinner's reaction to her, the woman directed her attention to Reyes, tentative recognition evident in her expression. "I know you," she replied. "Agent Reyes, right?"

"Yes," Reyes confirmed. "You have an excellent memory."

The other woman smiled. "Given the circumstances under which we met, I have a rather vivid memory of you," she replied.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," Skinner interjected, and extended his hand. "I'm Assistant Director Walter Skinner."

"Lieutenant Jessica Doggett," she returned, and they exchanged a handshake.

"Are you related to John Doggett?" Skinner asked.

Jessica smiled faintly. "In a manner of speaking," she allowed. "Do you know where I can find him?"

"I think he's still in his office," Reyes told her. "Take the elevator to the ground floor and it's at the end of the hall."

"Thank you, Agent Reyes. Mister Skinner."

Bidding them farewell, Jessica turned and made her way back to the elevator. Once she was out of earshot, Skinner addressed Reyes. "What is her relation to Agent Doggett?"

"Jessica's his ex-wife," Reyes clarified. "I met her briefly after their son was killed."

"She referred to herself as a lieutenant. Is she in the military?"

"No, she's a police officer, but John mentioned once that she was living in California."

"Any guesses as to what she's doing here?"

"No, but if she's gone to the trouble to track John down after almost five years I can't imagine she's here with good news."

Unaware of his impending visitor, Doggett was in his office making a valiant attempt to work through the stack of files covering his desk. Although the agents working on the X Files were still considered personas non grata within the Bureau, with the expansion of the division from two to four people the powers that be had reluctantly enlarged their office on the ground floor of the Hoover Building. As he crossed over to the water cooler to fill his cup, Doggett heard the unmistakable click of high heels on the tiled floor echoing in the hallway. Assuming the new arrival to be Reyes, he offered a greeting without turning around.

"I was beginnin' to think you'd forgotten about me," he quipped.

"I don't think I'm capable of that."

Doggett froze, awareness making the hair on the back of his neck stand up a split second before he recognized the distinctive voice, slightly husky and laced with an accent that was a unique combination of upper crust East Coast and Southern drawl. Tossing his paper cup into the trash, he slowly turned around to face his visitor, feeling his heart skip a beat at the sight of his former wife. She looked much the same as she had the last time he'd seen her, that fateful day four years and seven months ago when they'd agreed they needed to spend some time apart. Jessica had moved to California, and eighteen months later the divorce petition had arrived by registered mail. He had phoned her then, not to contest her decision but merely to assure her that he bore her no ill will, and that he would always care for her. She had responded in kind, and that was the last contact Doggett had with her until hearing her voice a moment ago. Yet despite the passage of time his reaction to her remained unchanged, and he silently wondered if he was in for another emotional roller coaster ride.

 _Ah, Jess;_ w _hat havoc will you wreak on my heart now?_

Obviously amused by his stunned silence, Jessica spoke first. "I do believe this is the first time I've ever seen John Doggett at a loss for words," she chided.

Finally finding his voice, he managed to return her smile as he responded. "Sorry," he said. "It's just that you're about the last person on Earth I expected to walk through my door."

"Does that mean I don't get a hug?"

"Of course not."

They met one another halfway and exchanged a brief hug, then Jessica reluctantly pulled back as Doggett asked, "So what brings you back here from California?"

She frowned. "Obviously you haven't heard the news."

"News?"

"Scott's dead, John," Jessica told him, sorrow etched in her refined features. "He was killed in a car accident three days ago."

"Sweet Jesus…" Doggett exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Jess. I had no idea."

Scott was Scott Caldwell, Jessica's brother and a member of Doggett's unit in the Marines. The two men had met as roommates at Syracuse University, and it was their friendship that had brought John Doggett into Jessica's life.

"Alexandria P.D. is still investigating the case, but the preliminary reports indicate he was hit by a drunk driver on I-395 during the storm."

"What was he doin' drivin' in that kind of weather?" Doggett asked.

"Sarah said he had been working late at the office and was rushing home to try and join the family for dinner," Jessica answered. "The other driver apparently crossed over into his lane and hit him head on. Scott was killed when the car flipped over."

"Hell of a way to go," Doggett muttered. "How are Sarah and the kids takin' it?"

"About as well as can be expected. Thankfully my mother's connections have enabled us to keep the media out of our hair, but it's only a matter of time before the news breaks."

"The death of the only son of a U.S. Senator is definitely worth a headline or two," Doggett allowed.

"I know this is short notice, but the funeral is 3:00 P.M. Sunday afternoon at St. Matthew's Cathedral," Jessica told him. "It would mean a lot to all of us if you could be there."

"Of course."

"Good. I was fairly certain you would want to be there, so I took the liberty of arranging a car to pick you up."

"A car?" Doggett prompted.

"Limousine."

"Ah."

The two lapsed into an awkward silence then, and after a moment Jessica spoke again.

"Well, I'm sure you have work to finish so I'll let you get back to it," she said. "But I wanted to make sure you heard the news about Scott from me. In spite of what happened between us, he always considered you the brother he never had."

"The feeling was mutual," Doggett responded. "I'll miss him."

"We all will. I'll see you tomorrow, John."

"Thanks for deliverin' the news personally, Jess. I appreciate it."

Her only response was a warm smile, then she wordlessly left his office. No sooner had she walked out then it occurred to Doggett he had not given her his address. Crossing the office to the doorway, he stepped out into the hall and called out to Jessica just as she reached the elevator.

"Jess, wait a minute!"

The lieutenant turned expectantly as she pushed the call button.

"I didn't give you my address."

She smiled at that, and Doggett felt his heart skip another beat. _She is still the most beautiful woman on the planet_ , he thought to himself.

"John J. Doggett, 1969 Bear Creek Lane, Falls Church, Virginia," she recited.

Doggett's surprise was obvious. "How'd you know that?"

"I have friends in high places," Jessica answered evasively, and stepped into the elevator.

Frowning at her computer screen, Scully was attempting to organize her notes for her current case when the phone rang just as William awoke from his nap and announced his hunger.

"I'll grab a bottle and feed Will," Mulder offered from the couch. "You can get the phone. It's probably for you anyway."

Scully gave him an 'I am not amused' look as he retreated into the bedroom. Reaching around her desktop terminal, she retrieved the portable phone. "Hello?"

"Dana, it's me."

She smiled in recognition of Doggett's familiar gravelly voice. "Good morning, John. What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry to bother you at home, but I was callin' to let you know that I'm gonna have to miss Will's birthday party this afternoon."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, but my former brother-in-law was killed in car accident a few days ago and I have to go to the memorial service," Doggett explained.

"Monica mentioned that your ex-wife showed up out of the blue at Headquarters yesterday," Scully replied. "She also said that your former mother-in-law is Senator Elizabeth Caldwell. I'm impressed."

"I'm sure," Doggett responded with friendly sarcasm.

"I'd be interested to hear how a conservative New York cop turned FBI agent from Georgia wound up married to the Virginian born and bred only daughter of one of the country's wealthiest and most Democratic families."

"My history with Jess will take more time than I've got to explain over the phone," Doggett stated, his tone making it clear that the subject was not to be broached again. "And I'd appreciate it if you could keep the information about her family to yourself. They want to keep the media away until after the service."

"Of course."

"I'll bring Will's gift to the office tomorrow," Doggett said. "Meantime give the little guy a hug from his Uncle John and don't let Mulder give him any model spaceships or toy aliens."

Scully smiled. "I'll do my best," she demurred. "Please express my condolences to your ex-wife and her family."

"Will do."

Scully replaced the phone in its cradle just as Mulder emerged from the bedroom with a happily feeding Will nestled in his arms. "Who was that?" he asked.

"That was John. He called to tell me he can't make it to the party this afternoon because he has to attend a friend's memorial service."

"For whom?"

"His former brother-in-law."

"That would explain why his ex-wife showed up at the office yesterday," Mulder remarked casually, earning him a surprised glance from his partner.

"How did you know about that?"

"I passed by her in the lobby when she was leaving the building," Mulder answered, "and after hearing Skinner's description of her I realized who she was."

"Monica says she's quite beautiful," Scully said.

Mulder made a tsking sound. "Agent Reyes has always had an inflated opinion of herself," he quipped.

Scully permitted herself a small smile. "I meant Jessica Doggett," she clarified.

"Ah. Well my taste runs to redheads with blue eyes and medical degrees, but I will confess that from what I saw, Lieutenant Doggett is indeed an exceptionally beautiful woman."

Scully's smile widened. "You realize that your disclaimer about preferring redheads is the only reason you're not toast," she told him.

"I love you too, Scully."


	2. Chapter 2

**WASHINGTON D.C.**

As the limousine made its way through the streets of the nation's capital, Doggett shifted his attention from the people passing by outside to the woman seated next to him. Jessica had been in the back seat when the limousine arrived at his house, and they had spent the first part of the ride exchanging casual conversation, including a brief explanation of why they were both in D.C.

"How did you wind up working at the Bureau's Headquarters here in Washington?" Jessica asked. "You seemed to enjoy living in New York."

"I did, but when the offer came to work on the X files, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a new career direction."

"And return to your Southern roots," Jessica added.

Doggett smiled. "That too," he allowed.

"I felt much the same way after my time in California; that's why I moved back here last spring."

Doggett's eyes widened in surprise. "You're livin' at home again?"

"Not at the family estate in Fredericksburg, no. But I have a small house of my own just outside of Alexandria and I work for their police department."

"Really…" Doggett muttered. "I just assumed you flew back for the service."

The lieutenant smiled. "Actually, I didn't fly at all," she revealed. "Given my claustrophobia, not to mention the issues involved with booking a large dog on a cross country flight, I decided it was easier just to pack up my Expedition and drive back."

"You drove across country with Trouble? That must have been an interesting trip."

Jessica's smile widened. Trouble was an English Mastiff and had been a gift from John to Jessica as a puppy when she had suffered two miscarriages after successfully having Luke. True to his name, the dog wreaked havoc wherever he went, mainly because he weighed 175 pounds.

"Believe it or not, it wasn't as bad as you might think," she said. "As long as I stopped often enough to let him burn off his energy and kept him full of food, he behaved rather well."

Following Jessica's story of traveling with Trouble, the two had fallen into a companionable silence. As the limousine came to halt in front of St. Matthew's Cathedral, Doggett glanced over at Jessica, finding her staring out the window in thoughtful silence.

"You okay over there?" he asked softly.

Jessica shifted her gaze to his and gave him a small smile. "I was just remembering the last time you and I were in a limousine together," she replied. "It was the day of Luke's funeral, and we were hurting too deeply to even attempt to make conversation. But I remember you reached over and took my hand in yours without saying a word, and just that simple contact gave me the strength I needed to get through the service."

He smiled back. "I remember thinkin' that I wouldn't have made it through that day if I hadn't had you there with me."

"Too bad we didn't manage to tell each other that then," Jessica said, regret evident in her tone. "It might have meant the difference between nearly five more years together and our divorce."

"Hindsight's twenty twenty."

"I suppose so."

The car door opened then, and Doggett climbed out of the limousine before extending his hand to help Jessica out. As he did so, he caught a flash of light on her hand and glanced down to discover her sapphire and diamond laced gold wedding band still adorned her third finger. Shifting his hold on her hand, he lightly rubbed his thumb against the ring as he gazed at Jessica in silent inquiry.

"In spite of the divorce, I could never bring myself to take it off," she said simply. "Old habits are hard to break."

"There's more to it than that, Jess," Doggett countered gently. "You haven't worn it all these years just for old times' sake."

Dark blue met ice blue as she held his gaze for a moment. "This isn't the time or place for a discussion about us, John," she said at last.

"Fair enough. But when the funeral's done, you and I are goin' to finish this conversation."

She nodded in silent agreement, and he placed his hand against the small of her back as they made their way inside the church. He recognized a few of Washington's elite among the mourners, recalling that some of them had attended his wedding to Jessica.

"Some of these folks were at our wedding," he said.

"Yes," Jessica confirmed. "Weddings and funerals always bring out the Washington bigwigs."

As if to prove her daughter's point, Elizabeth Caldwell chose that moment to make her appearance, accompanied by Scott's widow Sarah and their three children. Sarah immediately embraced Doggett in a fierce hug, her voice muffled against his chest as she spoke.

"I'm so glad you're here," she declared.

"I'm sorry about Scott, Sarah," Doggett said. "He was one of the good guys."

Sarah gave him a teary smile. "He always said the same about you," she responded.

"Hello, John," Elizabeth greeted simply. "I didn't know you were coming, but it's good to see you."

"Thank you, Senator," Doggett returned. "I just wish it could've been under better circumstances."

"As do I. I'm having a few people over to the house after the service. If you have the time, I'd like you come as well. I know Sarah and the children would enjoy spending some time with you."

"I'd like that."

The priest performing the service approached them then and told Elizabeth that the family should take their seats. The senator nodded, and the group made their way to the front of the church and settled themselves in the front pew. Elizabeth sat on the aisle, with Sarah on her left, then the children, then Jessica and John. Once the rest of the guests had settled, the priest began the service, muffled sniffles accompanying his even tone as he spoke. As he neared the end of his sermon, he turned his attention to Jessica.

"Before we send Scott to his final resting place, his sister Jessica would like to say a few words. Lieutenant…"

She rose to her feet and crossed over to the altar, then positioned herself behind the podium and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Most of you knew Scott well enough that there isn't anything I could tell you about him that you don't already know. But I am his baby sister, so I'm going to ask you all to indulge me for a few minutes as I share with you my memories of Scott. He was seven years old when I was born and having been an only child for that time he would have been well within his rights to resent my sudden intrusion into his family. But from the moment I arrived in his life, Scott was everything I could have needed and wanted in an older brother. He was my friend and my protector, and after our father died when I was eight, he became my surrogate parent as well. Scott was never too busy to make time for me, whether it was to teach me how to fish or teach me how to dance for my junior prom. I watched with envy as he met and eventually married his wife Sarah, who along with their children gave him his greatest joy. And it was through him that I met and married my own soul mate. Yet as protective as he was of me, Scott was always willing to let me make my own mistakes and be there to catch me when I fell. Aside from my husband, there has never been anyone in my life that offered me the unconditional love that I received from Scott, and no brother has ever been more devoted to his sister. I believe that angels exist, and I know that Scott has earned his place among them. Rest in peace, Big Brother; I love you."

By the time Jessica finished the eulogy, tears were streaming down her face, and she lifted a hand to wipe them away as she stepped down from the altar and resumed her seat. Doggett silently reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a small squeeze of reassurance as Jessica flashed him a grateful smile. The priest concluded the service, and after a final prayer the mourners slowly filtered out of the church.

The sound of footsteps echoed loudly in the silent hallway as he made his way to the room at the opposite end. Reaching the door, he stifled a nervous sigh and knocked once to announce his presence before stepping inside. The only light inside came from a pair of windows on opposite sides of the wall, and it barely revealed the presence of an elderly man seated in a wheelchair in the center of the room, a burning cigarette dangling from one hand. The room was heavy with cigarette smoke, and the other man was unable to stifle a cough before he spoke.

"You wanted to see me?"

"I wanted to discuss your methods for eliminating the problem I spoke of when we last met."

The voice was a raspy whisper, undoubtedly the result of a lifetime of smoking, and the other man said a silent prayer of gratitude that he had never indulged in the habit.

"It was my understanding that the 'methods' were to be at my discretion provided that the end result was the same."

"At no time did I say that the end result was to be his death."

"Alive he was a liability."

"Alive he was easily manipulated and able to keep what he knows under our control. Now the investigation into his death will undoubtedly bring unwanted attention to the Syndicate and unearth family secrets for the Caldwells and Agent Mulder that are best left buried."

"You don't know that."

"Don't I?" He paused to take a drag from his cigarette and slowly exhale before continuing. "His mother is a United States Senator; his sister is a police lieutenant; his former brother-in-law is an FBI agent. And not just any FBI agent, but one of the four assigned to the X Files. How long do you think it will take them to uncover the truth about his death and the circumstances which led to it?"

It was a rhetorical question, and an answer was neither expected nor received.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I think it will be in our best interests to control how Lieutenant Doggett and the agents obtain their information. Make arrangements with our newest associate for the first piece of the puzzle to make its way to the lovely lieutenant within the next twenty-four hours. Once we've seen how she reacts to it, we can proceed with the next piece accordingly."

"I'll see to it myself."


	3. Chapter 3

**FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA**

It was almost four hours later when the last of the guests bid farewell to Elizabeth and left the house. With her children overwhelmed by the events of the day, Sarah had left as well, after thanking Doggett for being at the funeral and extracting a promise from him to call her in the next couple of weeks. With Jessica having vanished a short while ago, Doggett was alone with his former mother-in-law.

"Scott would have been pleased that you came today," Elizabeth said. "He was always so fond of you."

"He was a good friend," Doggett replied. "I wish we'd managed to spend more time together."

"I know the feeling," Elizabeth concurred. "I was so busy being a Senator I rarely had time to be a mother. So much time lost and now there's no way to make up for it."

Hearing the self-chastisement in her voice, Doggett gave her a small smile. "Don't be so hard on yourself," he said. "Scott knew you loved him. Nothing else matters."

"May I ask you a personal question?"

'Sure."

"After you lost Luke, how did you manage to put the pain behind you and move on?"

He considered the question for a moment before responding. "Once I realized that bein' angry and bitter all the time wouldn't bring him back, I promised myself that I would honor his memory by movin' on with my life. The pain was still there, but eventually it became more manageable."

"I imagine it might have helped if Jessica had stayed with you in New York instead of moving to California," Elizabeth remarked.

 _I'm not touchin' that with a ten-foot pole_ , Doggett thought to himself. To Elizabeth he simply said, "She did what she felt she had to do."

The evasive response earned him a smile from Elizabeth. "Even now you defend her actions," she replied. "How chivalrous. And curious."

Doggett said nothing, but his expression made it clear that further discussion on the topic of his separation from Jessica would not be welcome, and Elizabeth changed the subject.

"I'm curious as to how you learned about Scott's death," she said. "Jessica has made it clear within her department that the news isn't to be made public until their investigation is concluded, and as far as I know they haven't called the FBI in on the case."

"Jess came by my office yesterday to give me the news in person and invite me to the service," Doggett clarified.

The senator's smile widened. "I suppose I should have figured that out when you two showed up together at St. Matthews," she allowed. "Ironic that even in death, Scott managed to bring the two of you together again."

"Mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"Not at all."

"A moment ago you were tryin' to get me to say that I resented Jess or was angry with her for leavin' me after we lost Luke," Doggett replied. "Yet now you make it sound like Scott's doin' some Divine intervention and tryin' to bring us back together. I'm just wonderin' which scenario is the one you really want."

"Maybe that's a question you should ask yourself," Elizabeth countered.

Any response from Doggett was prevented by the arrival of Jessica, who flashed her mother an apologetic smile as she approached. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but I have to go," she said. "I just got a call from the station and they need me to come in to review some new information on one of my cases."

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked. "You buried your brother today."

"Unfortunately crime has no respect for grieving families," Jessica countered, and glanced at Doggett. "If you don't mind a short detour, I'll take you home after I finish up at the station."

"Sure."

Jessica gave her mother a brief hug. "I'll call you tomorrow," she promised.

Elizabeth turned to Doggett. "John," she said simply. "Don't be a stranger."

"Take care of yourself, Senator," he responded.

He pressed a light kiss to her cheek, then he and Jessica made their way out of the house. As they climbed into her car, Doggett asked, "Where'd you disappear to?"

"I was in Scott's old room," Jessica answered. "I wanted to say a private good-bye."

"As I recall, you did the same thing the day of Luke's funeral."

The lieutenant gave him a small smile. "Old habits," she said simply.

"Speaking of which, now that we're alone why don't you tell me why it is you're still wearin' your wedding ring?" Doggett pressed.

She chuckled. "You certainly get straight to the heart of the matter, don't you?"

"You're avoidin' the question."

Jessica fell silent for a moment before responding. "I still wear it because I'm still in love with you," she admitted at last.

That was clearly the last thing he had expected to hear. "Excuse me?"

"You sound surprised."

"Shocked is more like it."

"I can't imagine why," Jessica countered. "I've loved you in one form or another since I was eleven years old, John, and you have been present at every important event of my life. Is it really so surprising that I would still be in love with you?"

"That's not the impression I got when you left New York," Doggett responded, residual anger evident in his tone.

 _Ouch_ , Jessica thought wryly. _I should have seen that coming_. "We both needed time to heal. After we lost Luke, we were so hurt and so angry we couldn't give each other what we needed. We barely managed to say ten words to each other, and when we did they were usually unpleasant. At the time, I felt separating was the only way to salvage what we had. But as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months, I began to think that maybe the best thing I could do for you would be to set you free. I convinced myself that I was nothing more to you than a reminder of the son we'd lost."

"I felt the same way," Doggett admitted. "When we decided to spend some time apart, I thought it was your way of tellin' me that you blamed me for what happened to Luke."

"I never blamed you for Luke's death, John; I didn't have to. You blamed yourself enough for both of us."

Unwilling to relinquish his sense of responsibility for their son's death, Doggett chose not to respond to Jessica's remark and instead returned to the original subject. "It's been almost five years, Jess. Why tell me this now?"

She sighed. "After the attacks on the World Trade Center last year, I called the Bureau's field office in New York to find out if you were all right, and they told me you'd transferred to D.C. the year before. I figured I'd have a better chance at tracking you down if we were in the same state, so I arranged to transfer to Alexandria's police department and moved back to Virginia. But once I was here, I got cold feet. I worried that you'd met someone else and possibly remarried. Scott got tired of listening to me whine about it and after doing a little research he told me that you were still single. He also told me that if I didn't call you by the end of November, he was going to call you on my behalf. Ironically enough it was the desire to have you at his memorial service that finally prompted me to seek you out."

"And so here we are," Doggett said. "But you've only told me the 'how', Jess; not the 'why'. Or at least only half of it."

"I want you back, John," Jessica declared. "I want us back. Walking away from you was the hardest and the stupidest thing I've ever done, and I've had almost five years to regret it. I don't want to regret it anymore."

 _So there it is_. The bluntness of the admission was no surprise to Doggett; honesty was as natural to Jessica as breathing. Depending on the occasion, it was both her most appealing and disconcerting quality. He was unsure which adjective he would apply to it in this instance.

"I'm not sure what to say, Jess," he began carefully. "It hurt when you walked out, but I will admit that I've missed you over the last few years, and that I still care about you. But I don't know if it's enough."

"It's a start," Jessica replied, and afforded him a brief sideways glance. "I don't expect you to welcome me back with open arms and pretend that the last five years didn't happen. All I'm asking is that you take some time to consider if you're willing to give me a second chance."

"And if I say no?"

"Then we call it as friends and move on. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life without you unless I know in my heart I did what I could to get you back."

She fell silent then, awaiting Doggett's response. He remained quiet for over a minute before speaking again.

"I'm not makin' any promises, but with a little time to get used to the idea, startin' over again may not be outside the realm of possibility," he said at last.

Relief and joy were evident in Jessica's elegant features. "A simple 'I'll think about it' would have sufficed," she teased, "but thank you."

"You're welcome."


	4. Chapter 4

**ALEXANDRIA POLICE DEPARTMENT**

The arrival of Jessica and John was met with open curiosity, as most of the officers in the department were aware that Scott's funeral had been that day. As she approached the front desk, the sergeant on the other side – a plain looking man in his late forties – greeted Jessica with a friendly smile.

"Evening, Lieutenant. "

"Hello, Ben," Jessica returned. "How was your vacation?"

"Not nearly long enough," Ben responded. "Detective Myers told me about your brother's accident. I sure am sorry."

"Thank you."

"Who's the suit?" Ben asked, inclining his head toward Doggett.

"Sergeant Ben Ruesch, meet Special Agent John Doggett."

Ben's eyes widened in recognition of the name. "So you're the Lieutenant's mystery ex," he remarked. "I take it from your title you're a Bureau boy?"

"Yes, sir," Doggett confirmed.

Ben nodded. "Nobody's perfect."

"Is Captain Phillips around?" Jessica asked. "I got a call from her telling me she has some new information about Scott's case."

"She's in her office," Ben told her. "She said to send you in as soon as you got here."

"Thanks."

"And just a word of warning; Detective Lupen is in there with her."

Something akin to disgust registered on Jessica's beautiful face. "Wonderful," she said sarcastically. "Thanks for the warning, Ben."

"Anytime, Lieutenant."

As Jessica and John crossed the room to Phillips' office, the latter questioned her about her reaction to Lupen's name. "I take it this Detective Lupen isn't on your list of favorite people?"

"He gives slime a bad name," came the response. "He asked me out when I first arrived in Alexandria and I politely declined. Yet he seems to think that if he keeps asking every couple of weeks or so until the next millennium, I'll change my mind."

Doggett smiled at that. For as long as he had known her, Jessica had held a zero-tolerance level for anyone who could not take no for an answer, especially men who were drawn to her extraordinary looks. "You want I should take him out back and have a chat with him?" he teased.

"Only if you plan on letting your fists do the talking," Jessica answered.

The door was closed when they reached the captain's office, and Jessica knocked to announce their presence, then waited for Phillips' invitation to enter before opening the door. The captain was seated behind her desk when they entered, and Lupen was seated with his back to the door, but both rose to their feet to greet the new arrivals.

"Lieutenant," Phillips returned. "Thank you for coming, and I apologize again for calling you in on such a difficult day."

"It's all right."

Phillips was an African American woman looking to be in her mid to late fifties, and her face wore the expression of someone who understands and accepts authority. Lupen was Hispanic, in his early forties and quite attractive. He flashed Jessica an overly friendly smile a split second before he noticed that she was not alone, and he was obviously not pleased by Doggett's presence.

"I don't believe we've met your friend," he said.

The lieutenant promptly made the introductions. "Captain Grace Phillips, Detective Miguel Lupen, this is my ex-husband, Special Agent John Doggett. "

Lupen's eyes widened slightly in surprise upon hearing John's name. "Is your presence here personal, Agent Doggett?" he asked coolly. "Or has Senator Caldwell asked the Bureau to step in on this case?"

"I'm here as a friend of the family," Doggett answered.

"You said on the phone that you had new information about Scott's accident," Jessica directed to Phillips.

"Yes," the captain confirmed, and picking up a file off her desk, handed it to the younger woman. "The forensics report came back on the car that hit Scott's and they were unable to find any trace of the driver."

"Was he thrown from the car on impact?" Jessica asked.

Lupen shook his head. "There were no bodies found at the scene of the accident," he told her. "Scott was trapped beneath his car and was extricated when the fire department arrived. The other car was so badly damaged they had to send it to the impound yard with the body presumably crushed inside. Yet once they took the vehicle apart, there was no one inside."

"What about traces of the driver in the car?" Doggett asked. "Was there any physical evidence inside the vehicle, like blood on the seats or windshield, or hair or clothing fibers?"

"Not according to the forensics report," Jessica answered, and handed the file to Doggett as she addressed her captain. "I don't understand how this is possible. The initial accident report clearly indicated that the other car swerved into Scott's lane. If there was no one inside, it shouldn't have been mobile, let alone driving erratically."

"There's more," Lupen said. "In the statement we got from the couple in the car behind Scott's who called in the accident, they stated that while they were waiting for the emergency personnel to arrive, they saw a man crawl out from under the wreckage of the other car, get to his feet and disappear into the night."

"Was he disguised as a mild-mannered reporter named Clark Kent from a great Metropolitan newspaper?" Jessica asked sarcastically.

"According to the brief description the witnesses gave us, he was a slim man about medium height with brown hair," Lupen said. "They were too far away to get an age range or more specific description."

"They must have missed the red cape and matching boots," Jessica snapped.

"Lieutenant…" Phillips said warningly.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but this is all beginning to sound more than a little ridiculous. We have a car that apparently drove itself into Scott's lane and killed him, and a mysterious man who walked away from the accident without a scratch. I saw the pictures of the accident site, and after sixteen years as a cop I've seen enough car accidents to know which ones are survivable and which are not. So unless this mystery man is made of steel, there's no way he could have been in the car that crashed into Scott's and lived to tell about it."

His ex-wife's angry assertion that the alleged driver would have to have been "made of steel" suddenly triggered a memory in Doggett's brain, of a slim young man with brown hair who was indeed indestructible: Billy Miles.

 _Like this whole scenario ain't bad enough without turnin' it into an X file,_ he thought wryly. Aloud he asked, "Would it be possible to talk to these witnesses again and maybe get a little more information about what they saw?"

The others glanced at him in surprise, and Phillips asked, "Do you think there's something to their story about seeing someone walk away from the accident?"

Doggett shrugged, unwilling to say anything about his theory until he had more proof. "I just think that it might help the Caldwell family's peace of mind if they could get a definitive answer about who was drivin' the car that took Scott out," he evaded.

Knowing him as well as she did, Jessica knew there was more to his request than that, but she trusted him enough not to press the issue until they were alone.

"With all due respect, Agent Doggett, given your personal connection to the Caldwells I don't think that you should be involved in this case," Lupen replied carefully.

 _Here we go_ , Doggett thought idly. To Lupen he said, "With all due respect, Detective, I don't think that's your call to make."

"I agree," Phillips replied. "If Agent Doggett is willing to offer his time and the Bureau's resources to help us with this investigation, I for one would welcome the assistance. "

"As would my family," Jessica added, earning her an annoyed glare from Lupen.

"Miguel, why don't you make a copy of the case file for Agent Doggett?" Phillips asked. "I'm sure he'll want to review the complete file before he contacts the witnesses."

"Of course," Lupen responded evenly.

"I'll make the copies," Jessica offered.

Doggett handed Jessica the file, and she excused herself as she left Phillips' office. Lupen left immediately thereafter, flashing Doggett a final hateful glare as he did so. Once he was gone, the agent gave Phillips a sheepish smile.

"I don't think Detective Lupen likes me very much," he said.

"He's just got his feathers ruffled because you showed up with Jessica," Phillips replied. "He's never been fond of competition."

"From what she's told me Jess has never been very fond of him," Doggett responded.

"Not at all, but unless she files a formal complaint there's not much I can do about it," Phillips returned. "You, however, don't have that problem. A not so subtle warning from you to back off may be just what he needs."

His smile widened. "You don't mince words, do you?"

Phillips shrugged. "I like Jessica," she said. "Most people tend to dismiss her on sight because of her looks and her family, but I've seen her work and I know her record. She's a damn good cop."

"Yes, she is," Doggett agreed. "Better than I was, at any rate."

"Is that how you two met?"

"No; her brother Scott was my college roommate and we met through him."

"I never knew him personally, but from what I heard he was a good man," Phillips remarked. "I hope you can find the person responsible for his death."

"I'm gonna do my best."

Jessica returned then and handed Doggett the copied file. "With your permission, Captain, I'd like to assume the lead on this case," she requested. "I'd rather not have to work with Miguel."

"Are you certain you can be objective enough about the investigation to run it properly?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"All right; the case is yours."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now go home."

The lieutenant smiled, then she and Doggett bid the captain farewell and left the police station. Once they were in her car, she questioned him about his evasiveness with Lupen and Phillips.

"Would you care to tell me the real reason you want to talk to the witnesses of Scott's accident?"

"There's nothing to tell," Doggett answered. "I just think it would be helpful if we got a straight story about the alleged driver of the other car."

Jessica clearly wasn't convinced that there was nothing more to it, but she decided to let it go for now. The drive to Doggett's house was made in companionable silence, and once they arrived Jessica insisted on walking John to the front door.

"Is this some kind of reverse chivalry?" he asked lightly.

"Call it what you will," came her response.

They reached the front door, and Jessica reached into her blazer pocket and withdrew a business card, which she handed to Doggett. "This is my card," she said. "It has my direct line at the station on the front, and I wrote my cell and home numbers on the back."

"Do you want to come with me when I talk to the witnesses?" Doggett asked.

"Thanks for the offer, but they might be intimidated by my presence. Just let me know if they manage to give you a more accurate description of the mystery man."

He nodded. "I'll call you as soon as I finish with them."

"I'll wait to hear from you, then. Good night, John."

"Good night, Jess."

Jessica leaned over to press a light kiss on his cheek, then flashed him a warm smile before making her way back to her car. Doggett watched her go, waiting until her taillights were no longer visible before speaking aloud to himself.

"John, my boy, you are in serious trouble."

Smiling to himself, he unlocked his door and headed inside.


	5. Chapter 5

**FBI HEADQUARTERS**

The following morning, Doggett arrived at work carrying Scott's file and the gift for Will. Reaching his office, he heard Mulder and Scully talking about Jessica. They had obviously not heard him approach, so he took advantage of their oblivion to position himself just outside the office, out of sight but within hearing distance.

"C'mon, Scully," Mulder pleaded. "Monica told you she's met her before. Spill the dirt."

Scully shot him an admonishing glance. "They met the day Monica went with John to tell her that Luke's body had been found," she reminded him. "It wasn't exactly an appropriate time to exchange small talk."

"Doggett's never mentioned her to you?" Mulder pressed.

"Why the fascination with Jessica Doggett?"

"I just find it interesting that Agent Doggett has never so much as mentioned her name or enlightened anyone to the fact that his former mother-in-law is one of Washington's most powerful people," Mulder replied. "And you have to admit on the surface they are an odd match."

"Some people might say that about you and me," Scully replied.

Mulder ignored the jibe. "Scully, you said it yourself on the phone with him yesterday," he reminded her. "You said that you'd 'be interested to hear how a conservative New York cop turned FBI agent from Georgia wound up married to the Virginian born and bred only daughter of one of the country's wealthiest and most Democratic families.' That would make anyone curious."

"Just remember what curiosity did to the cat, Agent Mulder," Doggett cautioned, stepping into the office to make his presence known. Smiling at their guilty expressions, he walked over to hand Will's gift to Scully. "This is for Will."

"Thank you, John," Scully said, and leaned down to place it under her desk. "I'll let him open it when we pick him up at my mother's tonight."

"I saw Scott Caldwell's obituary in the paper this morning," Mulder remarked. "How's his family?"

"About as well as they can be under the circumstances," Doggett responded. "Unfortunately, it's beginning to look like Scott's death wasn't a random accident."

"In what way?" Scully asked.

He handed her the file and she skimmed through it before passing it to Mulder, while Doggett quickly filled them in on the meeting he'd had last night with Jessica, Lupen and Phillips. "As soon as Jess made the comment about the driver havin' to be made of steel to have survived the accident, something clicked, and I immediately thought of Billy Miles."

"Billy Miles?" Scully echoed.

"We haven't seen or heard from him since Scully gave birth," Mulder pointed out.

"No, but we all know he has a habit of turnin' up when you least expect him," Doggett countered. "And we all know that he could have survived the crash if he was indeed drivin' the other car."

'You have a point there," Scully conceded.

"So, are you going to talk to these people about what they saw?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah, and I was hoping I could convince Dana to come with me," Doggett said, and glanced at Scully. "You know Billy Miles better than me and you'll have a better idea if he really is who they saw that night."

"Fair enough."

Scully got to her feet and walked over to the filing cabinet. Pulling open the top drawer, she rummaged through the files until she found the one she sought and pulled it out. Opening the folder, she took out a small picture of Billy Miles, then closed the folder and replaced it in the drawer. Walking over to stand beside Doggett, she shot Mulder a warning look. "Don't open Will's gift, Mulder."

Mulder gave her a look of feigned innocence. "Would I do that?"

"Yes," Scully and Doggett answered in unison.

 **ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA**

Arriving at the police station, Jessica flashed Ruesch a friendly smile before making her way to her office. Her desk was covered with various reports and miscellaneous papers, and she decided to make herself a cup of tea before tackling the paperwork. Crossing over to the water cooler, she was filling a cup with hot water when one of the uniformed officers approached her.

"Morning, Lieutenant," he greeted, and handed her the large envelope he was holding. "This just arrived for you up front."

"Thanks, Jimmy," she responded, and tucked the package under her arm as she finished making her tea. Returning to her office, she took a sip of tea before setting her cup on the desk and shifting her attention to the envelope Jimmy had given her. It was made of plain brown paper and bore no return address, and her name was written across the front in unfamiliar handwriting. Grabbing a letter opener from the drawer, she gently broke the seal and dumped the contents onto her desk. Inside was a single sheet of letter paper folded in thirds, along with an aged newspaper clipping that had yellowed with time. She unfolded the letter first, noting with surprise that it was on her brother's business stationery, and the message was a single typewritten line:

" _Dead men tell no tales."_

Frowning, she set the letter aside and picked up the newspaper clipping. It was from a Boston newspaper from and was dated April 29, 1964.

 _ **SEARCH CONTINUES FOR MISSING BABY GIRL**_

 _ **Martha's Vineyard, Mass.** – The search continues for a ten-week-old baby girl abducted from her parents' home three nights ago. Young Christina Mulder was taken from the home of her parents, Bill and Teena Mulder, sometime between the hours of midnight and two a.m., when her mother awoke for her regular feeding and discovered the infant was missing._

 _Neighbors questioned by authorities stated that they did not see or hear anything unusual the night of the abduction, nor did the Mulders or their other children, three-year-old Samantha and seven-year-old Fox. The investigation of the house itself and the surrounding area has yielded no physical evidence as to the child's abduction, further deepening the mystery of her disappearance._

 _When asked if the parents were suspected of foul play, Sheriff Tom Barnes replied, "At this time we have no reason to believe that the Mulders are responsible for their baby's disappearance, and they are not considered suspects."_

Finishing the article, Jessica tucked it back inside the envelope along with the cryptic note and reached over to pick up the phone. Reaching into her purse, she rummaged around until she found Doggett's card, and quickly dialed the main number for FBI Headquarters.

"Federal Bureau of Investigation."

"This is Lieutenant Jessica Doggett from the Alexandria police department. I need to speak with Special Agent Fox Mulder please."

"Certainly; one moment."

There was a brief pause as the operator transferred the call, and a moment later Mulder's easygoing monotone came on the line. "Fox Mulder."

"Agent Mulder, this is Jessica Doggett."

"Good morning, Lieutenant," Mulder greeted. "If you're looking for John, you just missed him."

"Actually, I was calling to speak with you," Jessica clarified. "I received a package this morning that I think you'll be interested in and I was hoping to come by your office to discuss it with you in person."

"Of course. Whatever time works for you."

"Excellent. I should be there in about thirty minutes."

Jessica hung up the phone, then grabbed her purse and the envelope as she headed out of her office.

 **FBI HEADQUARTERS**

Mulder was seated at Scully's desk and was gently shaking Will's gift in an attempt to discover its contents when a knock on the doorframe interrupted him.

"Agent Mulder?"

He gave a guilty start as he glanced up to see Jessica hovering in the doorway. "Lieutenant Doggett," he greeted. "Come on in."

She walked over to stand in front of the desk as she gestured at the package. "Somebody having a birthday?" she asked.

"My son," Mulder answered and replaced the gift under Scully's desk. "He just turned one."

Jessica nodded.

"So, Lieutenant; you said on the phone you received a package I might be interested in?"

"Yes." Jessica handed him the brown envelope. "This was delivered to me at the police station this morning."

Mulder opened the envelope and withdrew the contents, scanning the note before reading the newspaper article. "Well this is certainly an old ghost," he remarked. "My parents told Samantha and me that Christina died of SIDS."

"Then the article is legitimate?" Jessica pressed.

"I assume so," Mulder answered, confusion evident on his handsome face. "Which leads me to wonder why my parents felt it necessary to lie about Christina's death."

Knowing from the brief bits of information about Scully and Mulder she had gotten from John, Jessica knew both his parents were deceased, and respectfully offered no response to his speculation. Instead she asked, "Any theories as to why somebody would dredge up a thirty-eight-year-old kidnapping case?"

"Not off the top of my head, no. But given the note that came with it and the fact it was typed on your brother's business stationery, it seems to me whoever it is wants you to believe that my sister's kidnapping is linked to your brother's death."

"That makes no sense," Jessica protested. "Scott was killed last week; your sister disappeared almost thirty-nine years ago."

"Sensible or not, the facts remain the same," Mulder countered. "Whoever typed this note did so within the last few days and is someone who has access to your brother's office."

"I know most of his colleagues. I can't imagine any of them would withhold information about Scott's death."

"' _All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing'_ ," Mulder quoted softly. "The person who sent this to you is obviously trying to tell you that maybe they did just that."

"I suppose the place to start is his office," Jessica said. "Given that this now also involves your family, it would probably be a good idea for you to come with me."

Mulder smiled. "Turnabout being fair play and all that?" he asked rhetorically.

"Excuse me?"

"Agent Doggett recruited Scully to go with him to talk to the witnesses who saw your brother's crash," Mulder clarified. "Now you're recruiting me to help find out who sent you this package. Kind of an odd parallel."

"Just so long as nobody calls me 'Mrs. Spooky'," Jessica quipped.

"Very funny, Lieutenant."


	6. Chapter 6

**ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA**

Scully and Doggett arrived at the home of Danielle and Nicholas Wynmore, the couple who had witnessed Scott's accident, and walked up to the front door. Scully rang the bell, and Doggett knocked twice on the door. A dog began barking from inside the house, followed by a masculine voice saying "Down, Bruno!" and a moment later a man of about Doggett's age opened the door, his left hand holding the collar of a brindle Great Dane.

"May I help you?"

Scully and Doggett withdrew their badges as the latter said, "Special Agents Scully and Doggett with the FBI. Are you Nicholas Wynmore?"

"I am."

"Doctor Wynmore, if you can spare a few minutes, we'd like to ask you a couple more questions about what you and your wife saw the night Scott Caldwell was killed," Scully requested.

"My wife isn't home at the moment, but I'll be happy to answer any additional questions you have," Wynmore said, and stepped aside to allow them entry. "Please, come in."

As Wynmore led them into the living room, Bruno positioned himself next to Doggett and promptly butted his head against the agent's leg in a bid for attention.

"He's usually not so friendly with strangers," Wynmore remarked. "You must be a dog person."

Doggett shrugged as he gave the large canine a brief pat. "I wasn't until I met my wife," he demurred, "but she's always had dogs that weigh more than she does, so I learned to like them."

Scully hid a smile at his use of the present tense when referring to his marriage to Jessica and settled herself on the couch as Doggett settled next to her, and Wynmore sat in a chair across from them.

"What can I do for you, Agents?" Wynmore asked.

"According to the statement you gave Alexandria P.D.," Doggett began, "you and your wife saw a man crawl out from underneath the other car before the police and ambulances arrived."

"Yes," Wynmore confirmed. "Danielle was calling 911 on her cell phone and I was walking toward the entangled cars to check for victims when we suddenly saw a man rise up from the ground on the opposite side of the vehicles. Given his proximity to the crash, we assumed he was one of the drivers. He was rather slim, no more than thirty or so, and he glanced at the wreckage for maybe ten seconds before turning and walking away into the night."

"Did you try and stop him?"

"No. He was obviously unhurt, and I was more concerned with helping anyone who was trapped in the cars."

"Can you be more specific in your description?" Scully interjected.

Wynmore shook his head. "We only saw him very briefly and it was raining quite heavily."

Scully reached into her pocket and withdrew the picture of Billy Miles, holding it out to Wynmore. "Is this the man you saw that night?" she asked.

Wynmore took the picture and studied it for a moment before handing it to back to Scully. "It could be," he allowed. "There is a resemblance, but as I said the distance and weather conditions made it impossible to get a clear look at him."

"Of course."

Scully and Doggett rose to their feet as the former said, "Thank you for your time, Doctor."

"I wish I could have been more helpful," Wynmore responded.

The agents bid farewell to Wynmore and made their way back to Doggett's truck. As they climbed inside, Scully addressed her partner. "So, do you still think it was Billy Miles they saw that night?" she prompted.

"It's too coincidental not to have been," Doggett answered. "Doctor Wynmore admitted that there was a resemblance and said that the guy was obviously unhurt. There's only one person that I know of who could've been behind the wheel of that car and walked away from the crash."

"If it was Billy, why would the people controlling him want to kill Scott Caldwell?"

"I don't know, but I damn well intend to find out."

"What are you going to tell Jessica?"

"I wish I knew."

Scully smiled. "You still care about her," she observed.

"Of course I care about her, Dana. She was my wife and the mother of my son."

"Are you still in love with her?"

Doggett gave her a sideways glance. "Why is everyone so interested in my relationship with Jess?" he asked with friendly exasperation.

"Because she represents a part of you that no one ever gets to see," was Scully's answer.

Doggett released a small sigh and was silent for so long that Scully assumed he was annoyed at the intrusion into his personal business. But just as she was about to change the subject, he broke the silence.

"Jess was eleven years old when I first met her," he began, the affection in his tone evident as he spoke. "Scott and I had been roommates at Syracuse for about two months, and when my family had to cancel our plans to meet for Thanksgiving that first year, I accepted Scott's invitation to go to Virginia and spend the holiday with his. Knowin' that his family was wealthy, I was expectin' them to be a bit on the snobbish side, but from the minute I met Elizabeth Caldwell, she was nothing but friendly. She went to track down Jess, and a few minutes later this huge dog comes trottin' into the living room, followed by a very pretty little blonde girl with the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. I was there for four days, and by the time Scott and I left, it was obvious that Jess had developed a crush on me. Scott said she even told him that she was gonna marry me when she grew up."

"From the mouths of babes," Scully said.

"Exactly. In any event, Jess began writin' me whenever she wrote Scott, and the next thing I know we're pen pals. She was a smart little thing, though, and wrote about mature topics like current events and politics. I didn't actually see her again until her family invited me to her high school graduation. At that point she was eighteen, and after the ceremony when she came over to where we were sittin', I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. She was one of the most attractive women I'd ever seen, even bein' so young. My reaction to her scared the hell outta me, not just because of the age difference but because she was still the kid sister of my best friend."

"Did you tell Scott how you felt?" Scully asked.

"Not a word, but knowin' me as well as he did, he could tell that there was something different about the way I treated Jess after that. Even Jess could sense the change, but neither of them ever mentioned it to me, not even when I practically ignored her at Scott and Sarah's wedding. Shortly after we got our degrees, Scott and I joined the Marines and eventually would up bein' sent to Beirut. That was a pretty bad time for both of us. Jess continued to write to us, and I found myself lookin' for her letters every month. She never actually said that she still harbored any romantic feelings for me, but there was a tone in her letters that told me more than words ever could. After I was injured and given an honorable discharge, Scott asked his mother to make arrangements to get me sent home on a private plane. I wasn't in much of a condition to be sociable and wasn't up to a plane ride full of curious passengers."

"I imagine not," Scully replied. "Sometimes people's sympathy and curiosity is worse than your original experience."

"The day I came home I walked into my parents' living room and discovered Jess sittin' on the couch. And I got the same slammed in the gut feeling I had at her graduation, only this time it was stronger. She was twenty-two then and had matured into the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She'd just gotten her degree from Richmond University and had arranged to spend the summer working for Atlanta P.D. so we could spend some time together. She wound up stayin' through Christmas, and by that time I knew I was in love with her." He paused a moment to smile at the memory. "I remember when I finally got up the nerve to tell her. Jess looked at me, smiled, and simply said, 'it's about time'. We were married six months later."

"Was your son's murder the reason you divorced?"

"It was what got the ball rollin' so to speak," Doggett allowed. "About three months after he died, Jess and I decided to separate. We were hurtin' so bad we barely spoke to one another, and when we did it usually ended up in an argument. So we thought maybe a little time and distance would give us a chance to heal. But right about the time I was ready to ask her to come back, I got the divorce papers."

"You could have contested them," Scully said.

He shook his head. "I wasn't willin' to make it an issue if it was what Jess wanted. I called her the day I got the papers, and we had the first civil conversation we'd managed in almost two years. There were some laughs and some tears, and after an hour on the phone we decided to call it at friends. I never expected to see her again."

"Yet almost three years later she went to the trouble to track you down and personally invite you to her brother's funeral," Scully pointed out. "And don't tell me it was only because of your friendship with Scott, because she could have just as easily called or sent you a formal invitation in the mail."

Doggett sighed. "Jess has asked me to give her a second chance," he revealed. "She told me that she still loves me and that she wants to give our relationship another shot."

"From what you've told me that doesn't surprise me," Scully replied. "At the risk of sounding like a cliché from a bad romance novel, John, true love doesn't go away. It may fade out of sight from time to time, but it never truly disappears. And it's worth fighting for."

He shot her a sideways glance. "So you're sayin' I should reconcile with her."

"I'm saying that maybe it's time to admit to yourself that you're still in love with her, too."

A beat. "I never said I was still in love with her."

Scully smiled. "You didn't have to."

Scott had worked in the heart of Alexandria at Caldwell & Grant, the law firm founded by his father Edward Caldwell and Edward's partner, Alan Grant. Jessica and Mulder had exchanged casual conversation during the ride to Scott's office, and by the time they reached the law firm, a tentative friendship was forming between them. As they walked toward the main reception desk, the lieutenant could feel the curious looks from her brother's former colleagues, wondering about her presence there. The receptionist at the front desk knew Jessica well, and flashed her sympathetic smile as she and Mulder passed by. Reaching the office that had belonged to Scott, they approached his former personal assistant.

"Hello, Jessica," she greeted. "I'm so sorry about Scott."

"Thank you, Gillian."

"How are Sarah and the children holding up?" Gillian asked.

"Rather well under the circumstances," Jessica responded.

Gillian glanced curiously at Mulder. "I don't believe I know you," she said.

"My name's Fox Mulder; I'm with the FBI."

Gillian shifted her gaze back to Jessica. "The FBI?"

"Agent Mulder is helping me with a case I'm working on," Jessica explained. "Would it be possible for me to get access to Scott's office for a few minutes? There are some personal items in there I need to retrieve."

"I was told that all of Scott's personal effects were delivered to his home the day after the accident," Gillian said.

"Who told you that?" Jessica asked.

"Mister Grant," Gillian answered. "He said that one of your detectives had already been here to retrieve Scott's things and he's asked everyone to stay out of the office until a decision is made about who will take Scott's place."

Jessica and Mulder exchanged a look. This was curious, indeed.

"Is Mister Grant available?" Mulder asked. "I'm sure he'd be willing to let Lieutenant Doggett check the office to verify that all of Scott's personal belongings have been accounted for."

"Unfortunately he had a meeting outside the office today and isn't expected in until late this afternoon," Gillian told them. "But as you said, given that Jessica is Scott's sister, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Gillian pulled open one of her desk drawers and withdrew a pair of keys, which she handed to Jessica. "These are the keys to Scott's office and his filing cabinet," she said. "Make sure you lock everything back up when you're done and return the keys to me on your way out."

"I will, Gillian," Jessica promised. "Thank you."

Using the keys provided by Gillian, the two let themselves in and began a cursory search of the room. Sure enough, the office had been cleared of all of Scott's personal effects. As Mulder crossed over to open and search the filing cabinet, Jessica seated herself behind Scott's desk and began pulling open the drawers. In one of the smaller ones, she found a stack of the personal stationery that had been used for the cryptic note she had received that morning. Taking out a sheet, she rose to her feet as she spoke to Mulder.

"I'm going to check something," she said. "I'll be right back."

"Okay."

The lieutenant walked out of the office as Mulder continued to rummage through Scott's files. He reached the last of files and was about to close the drawer when he noticed another file wedged behind the rest, as if it had been shoved in hastily instead of in its proper order. Reaching into the drawer, he pulled it out and glanced at the label: **DOGGETT, JESSICA CALDWELL**.

 _Why would he have a file on his sister?_ Mulder pondered silently.

Casting a quick glance at the door to ensure Jessica was still absent, he flipped open the file and swiftly scanned it. Most of it read like a standard personnel file, with documentation regarding her family history, education and employment history, and a brief mention of John and Luke Doggett. It was the last paper in the file, however, that caught his attention. It was folded in thirds and showed signs of wear, as if it had been read multiple times. It was a photocopy of a document entitled "Certificate of Adoption" dated May 2, 1964, and it bore Jessica's name.

"The plot thickens," Mulder muttered aloud.

Just then he heard Jessica's voice in the hallway and he quickly refolded the paper and stashed it in his coat before shoving Jessica's file back into the filing cabinet as she reentered the office.

"Did you find anything?" she asked.

"Not a thing," Mulder lied. "Where'd you go?"

She handed him the paper she was holding. "This is the same stationery that was used for the note I got this morning, and I asked Gillian to type a couple of lines so we could compare the type set."

"Good idea."

"Well, since we seem to have come up empty, we'd better go. It would probably be best if Alan Grant didn't get back from his meeting and find us snooping around."

"I'll second that," Mulder said, and motioned for her to precede him out of the office. They returned the keys to Gillian and headed for the elevator, and Mulder waited until they were inside before posing a question to Jessica. "Mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"Ask away."

"How did the daughter of Elizabeth Caldwell wind up married to John Doggett?"

Jessica smiled. "I don't know if that's a compliment to me or an insult to John," she said dryly.

"I meant Agent Doggett no offense," Mulder assured her. "It's just that I've known him for close to two years and he's a pretty private guy. I'm curious as to how he managed to marry a member of such a public family."

"John and my brother Scott were roommates at Syracuse University," the lieutenant told him. "Scott brought him home for Thanksgiving their first year of college, and for me it was puppy love at first sight. Over the years we became friends through our respective relationships with Scott, and eventually we fell in love. Shortly after we were married, we moved to New York to accept positions with NYPD. Ten years later we separated after our son's murder and I moved to San Francisco, while John stayed in New York and took a job with the FBI. That was the last time we saw one another until I came to the office to tell him about Scott's death."

"Until you did, some of us were beginning to wonder just who the ex-Mrs. John Doggett was," Mulder admitted.

She chuckled. "I can understand why," she allowed. "John has never been one to advertise his personal business, and given why we parted company, I doubt I was on his list of favorite topics."

"He doesn't seem too unhappy to have you around again."

"I hope not. But even if he were, he'd never say it. John may be a little rough around the edges, but inside he has a gentle soul, and he is the most inherently honorable man I've ever met. Most people seem to think that he somehow bettered himself by marrying a pretty little rich girl; what they don't understand is that I'm the one who was privileged to have been his wife."

The agent gave her an assessing glance. "You're still in love with him."

It was a statement, not a question, but nonetheless Jessica responded, "Yes."

"Does Agent Doggett know?"

"He knows, and on that note the subject of my relationship with John is officially closed."

"Yes, Ma'am."

 **FBI HEADQUARTERS**

Shortly thereafter, Jessica had dropped Mulder off at the Hoover Building and returned to Alexandria. She had left the note and newspaper article with Mulder, so he could have them analyzed for fingerprints and compare the typing from her note to the one she'd asked Gillian to type for her. After dropping them off at the evidence lab, Mulder made his way back to the office and found Scully and Doggett already there.

"Any luck with the eyewitnesses?" Mulder asked.

"Not really," Doggett answered. "Doctor Wynmore said that the person they saw could have been Billy Miles, but even with the picture Dana showed him he was unable to make a positive ID."

"Well as much as I hate to admit it, Agent Doggett, I have to agree with you on this one. Given the condition of the vehicles, Billy Miles is the only being I know who could have been driving the other car."

"You and I agreein' on something," Doggett remarked. "Wonders never cease."

"Where did you disappear to?" Scully asked.

"I was in Alexandria with Lieutenant Doggett," Mulder answered. "She received an odd note this morning on her brother's business stationery that was accompanied by an old newspaper article about the kidnapping of a baby girl several years ago. The note seemed to intimate that the kidnapping was connected to Scott's death, and it said 'Dead men tell no tales'."

"Who sent it?"

"That's what we were hoping to find out by going to Scott's office."

"Any particular reason she invited you to go with her?" Doggett interjected.

Mulder glanced at him. "Because the baby girl that was kidnapped was my sister," he revealed.

"Samantha?" Scully prompted.

"No; it was my youngest sister, Christina. She was born when I was seven, but according to my parents died of SIDS when she was about two months old. Yet the newspaper article states that she was actually kidnapped."

"Why your parents would lie about what happened to her?"

Mulder shrugged. "Maybe they felt they were protecting us, but then again they weren't exactly pillars of honesty to begin with."

Scully and Doggett exchanged a look at the obvious bitterness in his tone, but neither commented on it. Instead Doggett asked, "So did your trip to Scott's office uncover anything?"

"Only another mystery," was Mulder's reply, and reaching into his coat, he withdrew the paper he had taken from the file on Jessica. "I found a file on Jessica stashed in the back of his filing cabinet and this was in it."

He handed it to Doggett, who quickly read it over before his face contorted into a confused frown. "This doesn't make any sense," he said. "Jess isn't adopted."

"According to that she is."

Scully took the copy from Doggett and reviewed it herself before commenting. "This could have been forged," she suggested.

"Maybe that'd be possible if we were talkin' about somebody else," Doggett countered, "but Jess is a Caldwell. Very few people in this country have the resources and/or the stupidity to mess with them. If someone was creatin' false documentation about Jess, her parents would have known about it."

"Perhaps they already did," Scully responded. "If this is genuine, then presumably the Caldwells were involved."

"Fine; let's just say for the sake of argument that Jess is adopted. Why wouldn't she know about it? And even if for whatever reason her parents never told her, why didn't Scott? He adored her, and there's no way he would have kept something like this from her."

"Assuming he even knew himself," Mulder replied.

"How could he not?" Doggett retorted. "Scott was seven when Jess was born, Mulder; that's old enough to know that babies aren't dropped on the front porch by a giant stork."

"Where there's a will there's a way, Agent Doggett," Mulder said. "If the Caldwells did adopt Jessica as an infant, then they could have found a way to bring her into their home and present her to Scott as their own child without arousing any suspicion in him."

"I think we should shelve the rest of this conversation until we've verified whether or not this adoption certificate is valid," Scully interjected. "Right now we should be concentrating on uncovering who sent Jessica the note and the newspaper article, and whether there really is a connection between them and Scott's death."

"The lab said they'd have the results of the fingerprint analysis in about an hour," Mulder said. "In the meantime, I'm going to contact the Bureau's field office in Boston and find out if there's a record of Christina's kidnapping."

"Boston?" Doggett repeated.

The other man nodded. "Yes. We were living in Martha's Vineyard when Christina disappeared."

Doggett looked thoughtful.

"Does that mean something to you, John?" Scully prompted.

"It means something to Jess," Doggett responded. "Boston is where she was born."

Scully and Mulder exchanged a look before the former asked, "She wasn't born in Virginia?"

"No. Her family was vacationin' in Boston when Elizabeth went into labor, and I'll give you three guesses as to what the date was."

Scully glanced down at the copy on her desk. "May 2, 1964."

"Exactly."

"That can't be a coincidence," Mulder stated.

"Unfortunately, it's beginning to look like this adoption certificate is valid after all," Scully replied.

"I'd be interested to know if there's a connection between Christina's kidnapping and Jessica's adoption," Mulder said. "Maybe there was some kind of black market for baby girls around that time and Jessica and Christina were victims of that."

"Let's not get carried away, Mulder," Doggett cautioned. "While I have to concede that it looks like Jess was indeed adopted, I find it difficult to believe that the Caldwells would've gotten her from anywhere other than a legitimate adoption agency."

"Then why not tell Jessica the truth? It obviously made no difference to the Caldwells that she wasn't their biological daughter, so why did they think it would make a difference to her?"

Doggett had no answer.

As always, he was seated in a wheelchair in the center of the darkened room when the other man arrived. Thankfully, however, this time he was not smoking.

"Is it done?" he asked.

"Yes," the younger man confirmed. "The first piece of the puzzle was delivered this morning."

"How did she react?"

"She went to the FBI to show it to Agent Mulder, and they paid a visit to her brother's office."

"Did they find anything there?"

"According to your partner, the only thing missing from Scott Caldwell's office was the copy of Jessica Doggett's adoption certificate from her file."

He smiled. "That is excellent news. If the other pieces fall into place as quickly as the first one has, we should have the issue of Lieutenant Doggett and her connection to Agent Mulder resolved by Christmas."

"When do you want to reveal the next piece of the puzzle?"

"Let's wait a day or two and see what the lovely lieutenant and the agents can uncover on their own. It will make it so much easier if they do the work for us. In the meantime, I think it's time to alert the Senator that old ghosts are going to return to haunt her."

"Consider it done."


	7. Chapter 7

**WASHINGTON D.C.**

Elizabeth Caldwell was in her office reviewing the draft of her speech for an upcoming fundraiser when her private line rang. Stifling a sigh of annoyance at the interruption, she reached over to pick up the receiver.

"Elizabeth Caldwell."

"Good afternoon, Senator," an unfamiliar male voice greeted. "Please accept my sympathies on the death of your son."

"Who is this?" Elizabeth asked.

"Who I am doesn't matter. It's what I know that should concern you. And I know that the beautiful woman you raised as your daughter is not your biological child."

Elizabeth felt her blood turn to ice. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she hissed, her voice no more than a harsh whisper.

"Oh, but I do. New England Medical Center, Boston, Spring 1964…is it coming back to you?"

"Who are you?" she demanded again.

He ignored the question. "Dead men tell no tales, Senator; your son's 'accident' assured that. But now your daughter and her friends at the FBI are poking their nose into places where they don't belong, and they will eventually uncover your little secret. Be ready and be warned."

Without giving the senator a chance to respond, the mysterious man disconnected the call, and an ashen Elizabeth stared at the receiver for a long moment before replacing it in its cradle with a trembling hand. After taking a moment to regain her composure, she picked up the phone again and quickly dialed, and after two rings a man's voice came on the line.

"Alan Grant."

"What the hell is going on, Alan?" Elizabeth demanded.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes. I just received an anonymous phone call from someone who claims Scott's death wasn't an accident and that he knows Jessica is not my biological child."

"Of course Scott's death was an accident," Grant assured her quickly. "Jessica's own department is handling the investigation, and she certainly would have told you if something unusual had turned up."

"Fine, but what about Jessica not being my child?" Elizabeth pressed. "The only people still alive who know about the adoption are you and me. Yet this man knew exactly when and where Edward and I obtained Jessica. How the hell did some stranger get his hands on that information?"

"I don't know but I promise you I will find out and handle it," Grant said.

"You'd better, Alan," Elizabeth snapped. "Because if Jessica finds out about this, the first thing she's going to do is take what she knows to John Doggett. And if the FBI gets involved, we're both going down."

She slammed the phone into its cradle without giving Grant a chance to respond.

 **ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA**

Two days passed, and aside from a brief phone call to tell her that Nicholas Wynmore had not provided any new information regarding the man he had seen leave the scene of Scott's crash, Doggett had not seen or spoken with Jessica. The items Mulder had submitted to the Bureau's evidence lab had been clean; no fingerprints or other DNA markers had been found on the papers. However, the lab had confirmed that the type set on Jessica's note matched the type set on the one she'd had Gillian type. Mulder and Scully were working with the Bureau's Boston division to uncover the source of the article about Christina, as well as more information on her case. In the meantime, Doggett was trying to get more information on the adoption certificate before disclosing its existence to Jessica.

Early one evening, Jessica was sequestered in her office reviewing a case file when her private line rang. As she reached over to pick up the receiver, she called out to one of the uniformed officers passing by her door.

"Hey, Jenny; would you come here a minute please?"

The younger woman stepped into the lieutenant's office as Jessica greeted her caller. "Jessica Doggett."

"I was hopin' I could catch you before you left," a familiar voice replied.

She smiled at the sound of her ex-husband's voice. "Hello, Sunshine," she said. "Hold on a minute."

Jessica glanced at Jenny and handed her one of the files on her desk. "Would please give this to Detective Moore? He should be up at the front talking to Ben."

"No problem, Lieutenant," Jenny said, and took the file from Jessica.

"Thanks, Jenny."

Jenny exited Jessica's office as the lieutenant returned her attention to John. "So stranger, to what do I owe the honor of your call?"

"If you don't have other plans, I thought maybe you'd like to meet me for dinner at the little bistro that just opened around the corner from your precinct," Doggett said. "It's supposed to have the best pasta dishes this side of Italy."

"Any other night I'd love to, but unfortunately my evening is already accounted for," she told him. "Sarah has to work a double shift at the hospital tonight to make up the time she missed after Scott's funeral, so I told her I'd take the kids. It's pizza and movie night at my place."

"Sounds like fun," Doggett remarked. "Mind if I join the party?"

"You really want to spend your down time with three rowdy kids and a dog that weighs more than all three of them put together?" she prompted.

"Actually, I was more interested in spendin' time with their babysitter," Doggett responded softly.

The implication in the casual remark caused Jessica's breath to catch in her throat. _Oh my_ , she thought to herself. To Doggett she said, "I like the sound of that."

"I'm gonna swing by my place and change into something more comfortable…" Doggett began, and was interrupted by a light chuckle from Jessica.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" she asked wryly.

"Was that an invitation, Lieutenant?"

"An open one."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "You'd better be careful about makin' promises you can't keep, sweetheart," he cautioned huskily, "or I'll hire a babysitter of my own and bring you home to my place to take you up on your offer."

The lieutenant flushed at the thought. "I'll keep that in mind," she replied. "I'm going to pick up the kids and the pizza, then swing by the movie rental place, so I should be home in about an hour."

"I'll see you in an hour, then."

Just under an hour later, Jessica pulled into her driveway and discovered Doggett waiting on the front porch. The children promptly burst from the car and ran across the front lawn to launch themselves at him with shouts of delight.

"Uncle John!"

"Hey, Uncle John!"

"Hi, Uncle John!"

Affectionately dubbed the Three Musketeers by Jessica, the children clearly adored Doggett, his separation from Jessica having done little to dampen their affection for him. Fifteen-year-old Cameron was a miniature version of Scott; thirteen-year-old Eric was an even blend of both parents; and ten-year-old Kim was the mirror image of Sarah. The group exchanged hugs just as Jessica approached them and exchanged a smile with John.

"You made good time," she remarked, balancing the pizza in one hand and the bag of movies in the other.

"The traffic was pretty light," Doggett responded, and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he confiscated the pizza and gestured at the plastic bag with the movie rentals. "So what are we watchin'?"

"One for each," Jessica answered. "Cameron wanted _Top Gun;_ Eric chose _Jurassic Park:_ _The Lost World_ ; and Kim selected _Monsters, Inc_."

"Excellent choices," Doggett replied.

Shifting the bag to her other hand, Jessica unlocked the front door and swung it open, where the group was immediately greeted by 175 pounds of exuberant dog.

"Trouble stay!" Jessica ordered sharply.

The dog obediently refrained from bolting out the door and instead greeted each of the children with a slobbery dog kiss on their hands as they made their way inside.

"You guys can stash your stuff in the guest bedroom upstairs," Jessica instructed, "and make sure to wash your hands before we eat."

"Can we have popcorn while we watch the movies?" Cameron requested.

"If you still want it after we eat dinner, yes."

The children all flashed her grateful smiles before dashing up the stairs, Trouble close on their heels. Jessica deposited the movies in the living room before gesturing for Doggett to follow her into the kitchen.

"They seem to be dealin' with Scott's death pretty well," Doggett observed.

"Sarah thinks so," Jessica allowed. "She spoke to one of the child psychologists at the hospital and he said that the best thing to do was to resume their normal daily routine. He said that the kids will go through a variety of emotions over the next few weeks and to just deal with them as they come. And Sarah's seeing her own grief counselor, so hopefully they will all get through this with as little scarring as possible."

"I hope so."

Depositing the pizza box on the counter, Doggett flipped open the lid and grimaced at the sight before him. "You got a pizza that's only half meat?"

"The boys are the only meat eaters," she explained. "Kim is a vegetarian."

"What about you? Still walkin' both sides of the line?"

She gave him a mock glare. "The only reason I don't consider myself a full vegetarian is because you got me hooked on those Polish sausages you were addicted to while we were living in New York."

"Yeah but you're conveniently forgettin' that you got me back by making me switch to decaffeinated coffee and forcin' me to drink it black."

"Once you got used to it, you admitted that you liked it better that way," she countered. "You said the milk and the sweetener 'contaminated the coffee's natural flavor' or some such thing."

Doggett paused. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

The children entered the kitchen then and Jessica and John quickly served up their dinner, as well as Trouble's, after which the lieutenant herded them into the living room and positioned them on the couch.

"You're going to watch Kim's movie first because she has to go to bed before you two," Jessica told them. "After her movie is done, you boys can decide amongst yourselves whose movie gets watched next. I'm going upstairs to change clothes and then take Trouble for a walk. If you still want popcorn after you eat, I'll make it when I get back. Deal?"

The children nodded in agreement and she put the first movie in the DVD player before retreating upstairs. A few minutes later she came back down dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, and after a quick glance toward the living room to ensure the children were behaving, she walked into the kitchen to join Doggett.

"Do you want to stay here with the minions or tag along with Trouble and me?"

"If I choose the latter, will the kids be okay by themselves?" Doggett asked.

"They should be. My gun is locked in my car and Cameron knows not to open the door to strangers. Besides, we won't be gone more than half an hour."

Doggett nodded and rose to his feet. "In that case, let's take a walk."

Summoning Trouble, Jessica crossed over to the closet by the front door and retrieved the leash hanging on the inside handle, then snapped it onto Trouble's collar as she and Doggett bid the children farewell and left the house. They had walked about a block when they encountered one of the neighbors, an elderly woman named Violet Fisher, who was walking her own dog, a white toy poodle no bigger than Trouble's head.

"Good evening, Jessica," she greeted. "I saw the notice in the newspaper the other day about Scott's accident. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, Violet," Jessica responded. "How's Henry?"

"He's doing much better after I took him to that doctor you recommended," Violet told her. "He hasn't had an attack in over a week."

"I'm glad to hear it."

Violet glanced at Doggett. "Who's this handsome young fellow?"

"Violet Fisher, John Doggett."

Doggett smiled and extended his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."

Violet shook his hand as she responded, "Likewise, Mister Doggett." She glanced at Jessica. "Is this the one you let get away?"

"Yes, he is."

"I like the looks of him. Are you going to keep him this time?"

Doggett glanced at Jessica in amusement as she flushed in embarrassment. "I'm working on it, Violet," she allowed.

"Good for you," Violet said. "Well, Pearl and I had better get inside. You two enjoy your evening."

"Good night, Violet," Jessica said, and she and Doggett resumed their walk as Violet and Pearl retreated inside their house. Once they were safely out of earshot, Doggett addressed Jessica.

"She seems like a sweet old lady," he remarked. "I take it Henry's her husband?"

"Henry's her other dog," the lieutenant clarified. "He had been having some sort of seizures for over a week, so I referred Violet to Trouble's veterinarian, and now Henry is on anti-seizure medication."

Doggett nodded. "I'm curious about something," he said. "The other day when I went to the police station with you, the desk sergeant knew who I was as soon as I gave my name, and so did Violet a minute ago. How is it that people I've never met before know who I am?"

"Let's just say that you're not the only person who wonders why I wear a wedding ring when I have no husband," Jessica replied wryly. "Every once in a while, I'll get someone who takes it a step further and asks if we had children."

"What do you tell them?"

"I tell them the truth. After we first lost him, I refused to discuss it. But my grief counselor told me that I should talk about him. Luke existed and was a part of our lives for eight wonderful years; how he left us doesn't change that. And I know that he would want us to remember him with smiles, not tears."

"Do you still miss him?" Doggett asked.

"Every day," Jessica confirmed. "But I've learned to live with his loss, including my own guilt about not being able to prevent it, and God willing I'll see him again when the time comes for me to leave this life."

"I wish I could be as at peace with it as you are," Doggett remarked. "Every time I think about what happened it makes me so mad I could kill somebody."

"You know as well as I do that it would have served no purpose. Even if Bob Harvey was responsible for Luke's murder, killing him wouldn't have brought Luke back, and it would have dishonored his memory."

"Maybe, but it might have made up for puttin' him in danger in the first place. I knew Harvey was dangerous, but I was so busy tryin' to be the hero I didn't watch over my own son."

Jessica stepped in front of Doggett, blocking his path and forcing him to stop in his tracks.

"What happened to Luke was not your fault, John," she declared heatedly, using her free hand to poke him in the chest. "You had no way of knowing that Harvey was watching us that day. It was a random act of violence and could just have easily happened to any other family. I will not allow you to accept the blame for Luke's death."

"Who else am I supposed to blame?"

"The only person responsible for what happened to our son was the man who killed him. Luke's death was a tragedy, and we will carry that pain for the rest of our lives. But we have to move past it and allow ourselves to live again. Drowning in grief and self-recrimination only pours salt into open wounds. Let it go, John."

Ice blue met dark blue as Doggett held Jessica's gaze in silence for a long moment before responding. "I'm scared, Jess," he admitted. "I'm scared that if I let go of the anger and the grief, then one day I'll wake up and not feel anything at all."

She gave him a comforting smile and lifted her hand to gently place her palm against his cheek. "You'll feel love," came the quiet reply. "You'll remember the smile on his face the morning he woke us up to show us he'd learned to ride his bike. You'll hear his laughter the morning he came downstairs and discovered Trouble. You'll feel his breath on your cheek as he kisses you good night. Those are the feelings you can hold onto."

 _It's moments like this that remind me why I love her_ , Doggett mused silently. Aloud he asked, "How did I ever manage to let you walk away from me?"

"It must have stemmed from the same idiocy that prompted me to leave you in the first place," Jessica responded dryly. "Now, enough serious stuff. We have a dog to walk and trio of rambunctious children to supervise."

"Lead, on Lieutenant."

It was after midnight when the final movie ended and Jessica ushered the boys off to bed. Kim had been put to bed shortly after her movie had ended, after recruiting John to tuck her in. Trouble was sprawled on the floor in front of the couch, sound asleep, and the boys gave him a gentle pat before giving Jessica and John good night hugs and heading up the stairs to bed. Once they were out of earshot, Doggett flashed Jessica a small smile.

"They're good kids," he remarked. "Scott and Sarah did a good job."

"Yes they did," Jessica agreed. "I'm just sorry that Scott won't be here to watch them become adults."

"I'm sure he's watchin' over them," Doggett responded. "He was always playin' the part of a guardian angel when he was alive, so I imagine now that he's official it will only make it easier."

She smiled at that. "I'm sure it will," she said. "Well, it's late and we both have to work tomorrow so I'd better let you go."

"Walk me to my car?" Doggett asked.

"Of course."

He extended his hand, and Jessica took it in hers as they quietly made their way outside. The walk to Doggett's truck was made in companionable silence, and he waited until they reached the driver's side door before turning to face Jessica.

"I had a good time tonight," he said. "It brought back some nice memories."

"I'm glad you joined us," Jessica replied. "It was good for the kids to spend some time with you."

"What about you?"

Her smile returned. "It was good for me to spend some time with you, too," she said. "It was nice to enjoy some quality time without it being strictly business."

He smiled back. "Maybe next time we can recruit someone else to baby-sit and I can accept that open invitation you extended earlier."

Jessica met his gaze in silence for brief moment before softly replying, "You're welcome to preview coming attractions."

Doggett's smile faded as the air between them suddenly flared with sexual tension. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, Doggett lifted his hands and placed them on the edge of his truck bed on either side of Jessica, effectively trapping her. Shifting his weight, he closed the short distance between them and pressed his body to Jessica's, feeling a visceral tremor ripple through her as he lowered his mouth to hers. Desire immediately flared to life at the contact, and Doggett deepened the kiss as Jessica placed her hands on his hips and pulled him closer. They remained locked in one another's embrace for several minutes before a thread of sanity penetrated Doggett's passion fogged brain and he reluctantly broke off their kiss. It took a moment for them to get their breathing under control, and once they had Jessica was the first to speak.

"What was that you said earlier about making promises I can't keep?" she asked lightly.

"If this was only a preview, the main attraction is probably gonna kill me," Doggett muttered.

She smiled at that and lifted her hand to gently press her palm against his face. "You'd better go before one of my colleagues has to arrest us for lewd behavior in public," she teased.

"With my luck it would be Lupen," Doggett said. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'll be at work after ten," Jessica told him. "I have to drop the kids off at school."

Doggett nodded, then indulged himself in another kiss before climbing into his truck. Once inside, he lowered the window and gave her a final smile. "Good night, Jess. Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, John."

The lieutenant stepped back as he started the truck and stood in place to watch him drive away until his taillights disappeared into the night. Smiling to herself, she slowly made her way back inside her house. Only after the front door had been closed and bolted did a lone figure emerge from the bushes of the house next door, and stare at Jessica's house in silence for moment before retreating into the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8

**FBI HEADQUARTERS**

It was near noon before Doggett managed to make it to his office. Upon his arrival at the Hoover Building that morning, he had been summoned to Kersh's office for a meeting regarding a recent case Doggett had consulted on for D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department. Piqued because Doggett had not informed him about the case, Kersh had spent twenty minutes lecturing the agent about the 'importance of the chain of command'. No sooner had the Deputy Director finished his dressing down than the evidence lab had called to inform him that the specimen he had submitted last week for a DNA test on the bloodstains had accidentally been contaminated when one of the forensics experts had spilled coffee on the clothing. All in all, Doggett's day was not off to an auspicious start.

Walking into his office, he found only Mulder there, reviewing the file they had started for what they had dubbed the "Triad" case: Scott's death, Christina's kidnapping and Jessica's adoption.

"Mornin', Mulder," Doggett greeted.

Mulder glanced up. "Good morning, Agent Doggett," he returned.

"Where's Dana?"

"She took Will to the doctor this morning for his first-year check-up," Mulder said. "She should be in any time now."

Doggett gestured at the file on Mulder's desk as he settled behind his own. "Any new information on the Triad case?"

"I'm waiting for a return call from one of the archivists at the Bureau's Boston division. She's going to try and track down the file on my sister's kidnapping."

As if on cue, the telephone rang then and Mulder picked up the receiver. "Fox Mulder."

"Agent Mulder, this is Janet Schimmel from the Boston office. We spoke earlier this morning about a case file involving your sister's kidnapping."

"Yes. Were you able to find it?"

"It took some doing, but I did manage to track it down," Schimmel told him. "Unfortunately, I don't think that there is anything in here that will be of any use. The file has a copy of the original police report when your parents reported Christina missing, as well as affidavits from neighbors who were questioned about the abduction. If I'm reading this correctly, the case was closed after six months and your sister was officially declared 'Missing-Presumed Dead'."

"Does it state the name of the agent who was in charge of the original investigation?" Mulder questioned.

"Yes. His name was Carl Spender and apparently he quit the FBI a few years ago after developing cancer."

"Spender," Mulder muttered to himself. "I should have known."

"I'm sorry, Agent Mulder; I didn't understand that."

"I apologize, Mrs. Schimmel. I was talking to myself. I appreciate you taking the time to check on this for me. Would you please fax what you have to me at 202-555-1101?"

"Certainly. I'll send it over in just a few minutes."

"Thank you very much."

Hanging up the phone, Mulder met Doggett's inquiring gaze. "Apparently the agent in charge of investigating Christina's kidnapping all those years ago is the same man who was responsible for my sister Samantha's abduction five years later," he revealed.

"The guy you call the Cigarette Smoking Man?" Doggett prompted.

"That's him."

"He must have been pretty desperate to abduct two girls from the same family."

"Deranged would be my adjective of choice," Mulder countered dryly. "So what about you? Any luck finding the source of Lieutenant Doggett's adoption certificate?"

"Not yet. I was thinkin' that maybe we should take what we have to the Gunmen and see what they can come up with."

"I suggest you tell Lieutenant Doggett what's going on first. I know from personal experience that keeping secrets from the people you care about only does more harm than good, regardless of how good your intentions are."

Doggett smiled at that. "I see Agent Scully's finally rubbin' off on you," he chided.

Mulder smiled back. "Just don't tell her," he said. "It would ruin all my fun."

The other man shook his head as he reached into his desk drawer and withdrew a business card, then flipped it over and picked up the phone to dial the number printed there. A clearly distracted Jessica answered it on the second ring.

"Jessica Doggett."

"Good mornin' beautiful," Doggett greeted.

"Hi, John," she returned hurriedly. "I'm on my way into a meeting with Captain Phillips. May I call you back in about an hour?"

"Actually I was hopin' you could swing by my office this afternoon. There's something I need to talk to you about."

Jessica paused. "That sounds ominous," she remarked. "May I ask what it's regarding?"

"It's somethin' relating to Scott's death."

"Ah. Well you should have just said so. For a minute there I was worried you were going to say that last night was too much too soon."

Doggett smiled. "On the contrary, Lieutenant, I have every intention of finishin' what we started when time and opportunity permit," he told her.

"I hope so," Jessica responded pointedly. "I've got some things to finish up here after my meeting, but I should be able to make it into D.C. by four o'clock."

"I'll see you then." 

He hated being summoned like this, as if he were a dog that was required to heel upon command and come when called. Yet he knew all too well the choice to disobey would a fatal one, and he held his tongue as he entered the smoke-filled room.

"You have a task for me?"

"Yes," came the raspy response. "It seems that Lieutenant Doggett and her friends from the FBI are more resourceful than I gave them credit for and have managed to uncover my role in the events in Boston thirty-eight years ago."

"I thought you wanted them to uncover the truth."

"I do, but I wasn't prepared for them to do so as quickly as they have. If Mister Grant and Senator Caldwell are taken to task for their parts in this plan, then we must be ready to have our people fill in the gaps."

"What do you require of me?"

He took a drag from his cigarette before responding. "I think it's time to remind Lieutenant Doggett what fate befalls the curious," he said.

"You want her killed?"

"Not killed, but taken out of commission long enough for us to put our replacements into position."

"That will take an outsider's experience."

"Fine, but make it someone expendable. Once the deed is done, I don't want our 'outsider' getting an attack of conscience and confessing to the crime."

"I'll make certain all loose ends are tied together."

"See that you do. Once everything is in place, we can reveal the rest of the puzzle to Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder."

 **HOOVER BUILDING**

A few minutes before four o'clock, Jessica walked into the office occupied by the X files agents and found only Scully and Will present.

"Lieutenant Doggett," Scully greeted. "I'm Dana Scully."

"Nice to meet you, Agent Scully," Jessica responded. "John speaks very fondly of you."

"I could say the same to you."

The other woman gave her a curious look. "He's told you about me?"

"He filled me in on the basics, yes."

"He obviously places a great deal of faith in you to trust you with our history," Jessica remarked. "So where did John disappear to?"

"He and Mulder will be right back," Scully said. "They had to talk to our boss about a case they're working on."

The lieutenant nodded, then shifted her attention to Will. "This handsome little fellow must be Will."

Scully smiled. "Yes. My mom was spending the day with friends and couldn't watch him, so I brought him to work."

"He's a beautiful boy."

"Thank you."

Scully watched Jessica watch Will and saw a brief flash of anguished longing pass across the other woman's face before vanishing. _She still misses Luke_ , she observed silently. Aloud she said, "You're welcome to hold him if you want. He likes people."

The lieutenant graced Scully with a grateful smile and set her purse on Doggett's desk before bending over to pick up Will. "Hello there little Mister," she greeted. "You're quite the looker, aren't you?"

Will eyed Jessica with typical infant's curiosity, and Jessica handled him with the ease of someone who knew and loved children.

"You're very good with him," Scully remarked.

"I've had a lot of practice," Jessica demurred. "Even before I had Luke, John and I used to baby-sit my brother's kids. We wanted a large family of our own, but unfortunately it didn't work out that way, so instead of a sibling, Luke got Trouble."

"Trouble?" Scully echoed questioningly.

"Trouble is my dog," Jessica clarified. "Or a pony in dog's clothing, as John used to say. After I suffered my second miscarriage, John decided to get me a puppy to help ease the pain. I've always been partial to large dogs, and so one of our friends on the force that bred Mastiffs gave one of his puppies to John to give to me. The first night we had him, he chewed through two pairs of John's shoes, one of mine, marked his territory on every rug in the house and shredded Luke's bedding. John made a comment about the puppy being more trouble than he was worth, and Luke promptly announced that he was naming him Trouble. He's lived up to his name ever since."

"With a dog that size I imagine that's easy to do."

The sound of muffed voices in the hallway signaled the return of Mulder and Doggett, and the women glanced over expectantly as they walked into the office. Spotting Jessica holding Will, Doggett felt his heart skip a beat as old memories threatened to overwhelm him.

 _Even after all this time the sight of Jess holdin' a baby still makes my heart ache_ , he mused.

As if sensing his thoughts, Jessica flashed him a faint smile tinged with sadness before returning Will to his mother. As Scully placed him in his stroller, the lieutenant addressed the men.

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked.

Mulder and Doggett exchanged a look, then Mulder answered the question. "While we were at your brother's office the other day, I found a folder in his filing cabinet labeled with your name that contained information about you," he revealed.

She frowned. "What kind of information?"

"Most of it was personal stuff, like what you'd find in a standard personnel file," Doggett said, then crossed over to his desk and retrieved a folded paper, which he handed to Jessica. "This was at the back of the file."

Jessica took the paper and unfolded it, her confusion turning to disbelief as she scanned the copy of the adoption certificate. Once she was done, she glanced at Doggett, shock etched in her elegant features. "I assume you've validated the authenticity of this," she said.

"Not officially," Doggett demurred. "But the date of the certificate is your birthday, and I can't imagine Scott botherin' to hang onto it if it were a forgery."

"Maybe it is fake, and he was keeping it so he could find the person responsible for creating it and pursue legal action," Jessica suggested.

"Then why would it be stashed in a file in the back of his filing cabinet?" Mulder countered. "You're a police officer; why would he not tell you about it and enlist your help in finding the forger?"

"Why didn't you tell me about it when we were at his office two days ago?" the lieutenant shot back.

"I wanted to show it to Agent Doggett because if it was authentic, I felt he should be the one to present it to you," Mulder responded.

She couldn't argue that. "This makes no sense. If I am adopted, why wouldn't my parents have told me? Why keep it a secret?"

"We think it has something to do with the abduction of Christina Mulder thirty-eight years ago," Scully told her. "According to the adoption certificate, you were adopted in Boston shortly after Christina was kidnapped in Martha's Vineyard. Our theory is that there was some kind of black market for baby girls at that time, and you and Christina were victims of it."

"You're telling me that I was stolen from my birth parents so the Caldwells could adopt me?" Jessica prompted incredulously. "That's absurd. I come from one of the richest families in the country. Why would they need to resort to being accessories to kidnapping to adopt a child?"

"That's not what we're sayin' Jess," Doggett interjected. "It's entirely possible that your parents thought they were obtainin' you through legitimate means. But whoever they went through to get you may have been involved with the kidnappers."

"And I'm supposed to be relieved that my parents aren't the criminals, just their associates are?"

Doggett winced at the angry sarcasm in her voice, but wisely remained silent, knowing all too well how futile it would be to try reasoning with her when she was in a temper. Mulder, however, did not have the benefit of Doggett's history with Jessica and made an attempt to calm her down.

"Don't shoot the messengers, Lieutenant," he said. "We're only trying to discover the truth."

The lieutenant shot him a look that would have curdled milk. "Don't pacify me, Agent Mulder," she snapped. "If your 'truth' is indeed just that, then it cost my brother his life. Someone is going to answer for that."

The ring of the telephone interrupted the heated discussion and being the closest, Scully picked it up. "Dana Scully."

"Agent Scully, its John Byers. Is Mulder there?"

"Hold on." Scully handed the receiver to Mulder. "It's for you."

Mulder took the phone. "Hello?"

"Mulder, its Byers. It took some digging, but I think Langley may have found some information that may prove useful in verifying that adoption certificate you faxed us."

"Good. We'll be there shortly."

Mulder hung up the phone and met the others' inquiring looks. "Byers says they may have some information about the validity of the adoption certificate," he revealed.

"Who's Byers?" Jessica asked.

"Ever heard of the Lone Gunmen?" Mulder asked.

"With a mother who works in D.C.? Yes, I've heard of them." She glanced at Doggett. "These are the men you're trusting with my life secrets?"

"They're a bit unconventional," Doggett allowed, "but they are trustworthy."

"Well then, let's go hear what they have to say."

Half an hour later, Jessica and Doggett reached the Lone Gunmen's headquarters. Mulder and Scully had taken her car, as Doggett's truck could not hold four adults and Will's car seat. The drive to the Gunmen's had been made in silence, with Jessica attempting to absorb what she had learned and Doggett knowing what to say to make it easier to bear. The foursome arrived almost simultaneously and made their way to the front door. Mulder knocked twice, paused, then knocked twice more. A moment later the door swung open and the Gunmen stood there, eyeing Jessica in open curiosity and admiration. After a lengthy, awkward silence, Langley was the first to speak and simply said, "Wow."

Jessica permitted herself a small smile at that as Mulder and Scully exchanged amused looks. Doggett was long used to the reactions Jessica received, but today had little patience for it.

"Are you boys goin' to let us in, or shall we stand here a little longer and let you keep droolin' on your shoes?" Doggett asked dryly.

"Sorry," Frohike apologized, and the trio stepped aside to permit their visitors entry. Once they were inside, Mulder made the formal introductions.

"Lieutenant, this is John Byers, Melvin Frohike and Ringo Langley, aka The Lone Gunmen. Gentlemen, Lieutenant Jessica Caldwell Doggett."

"The mysterious former Mrs. John J. Doggett," Byers said.

"That's me," Jessica confirmed.

"I take back everything I ever said about you, Agent Doggett," Frohike said.

"I take back everything I ever thought about you," Langley added.

Jessica shot her ex-husband an amused look but said nothing, and the attention shifted to Will. They cooed over him for a couple of moments before Mulder brought them back to the reason for their presence.

"So what did you find out?" Mulder asked.

The Gunmen immediately became all business, and Byers answered Mulder's query.

"We took the information you gave us regarding Lieutenant Doggett's alleged date and place of birth and ran a cross check against the birth records for the New England Medical Center," he said. "There was no birth certificate filed on May 2, 1964 or any other date for a baby girl born to Edward and Elizabeth Caldwell."

Jessica paled visibly at the revelation but said nothing, and Doggett gently placed his hand against the small of her back in a silent gesture of comfort.

"I also ran a cross check for any babies that were brought into the hospital around that time and were considered orphaned or abandoned," Langley told them. "There was one file on a baby Jane Doe who was brought in on April 30, 1964 for dehydration and hypothermia, and she was discharged two days later to the custody of an FBI agent named Carl Spender."

Mulder and Doggett exchanged a look at that. "Quite a coincidence that the agent investigatin' your sister's abduction also happens to be granted custody of another abandoned baby girl in the middle of the case," the latter remarked.

"It gets better," Byers told them. "I scanned the signature of the attorney who signed the adoption certificate and ran it through the system to see if any matching signatures were found for attorneys on the East Coast, and it came up as an 89% match to an Alan Grant of Caldwell & Grant in Alexandria, Virginia."

The lieutenant released a heavy sigh before muttering, "Damn."

"Given how closely your sister's abduction mirrored Lieutenant Doggett's adoption, we played a hunch that the connection was something other than a baby stealing ring," Langley continued. "I tapped into the medical files for the Bureau and Alexandria P.D., and did a DNA probability match against your blood types."

"You think Lieutenant Doggett is actually my sister?" Mulder prompted, torn between incredulity and amusement at the thought.

"She is," Frohike replied softly, and handed a printout he was holding to Scully.

"That's impossible," Jessica blurted out.

"Not according to this," Scully countered, and stole a quick look at Mulder before glancing at Jessica. "DNA doesn't lie, Lieutenant; you are Christina Mulder."

What color remained in Jessica's complexion quickly vanished as the full import of the revelation hit her, and she fought the urge to sit in the nearest chair and just sob. "This is unbelievable," she muttered. "I don't even know who to confront first – my mother or Alan Grant. Although maybe I should be talking to the agent that apparently started it all. What's his name, 'Spender'?"

"Actually, talking to Spender isn't an option," Mulder replied. "He's dead. Or at least that's what the word on the street is. I haven't been able to verify it one way or another."

"Well under the circumstances I think it would be a good idea to put that back on your list of things to do," came her sardonic reply. "In the meantime, I intend to have a little chat with Mommy."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea right now, Jess," Doggett cautioned.

"I think it's an excellent idea," Mulder countered.

Doggett shot him a quelling glance before returning his attention to Jessica. "Whoever sent you the note and the article the other day was obviously warnin' you that they're willin' to kill to keep your real identity a secret. That seems to be why Scott was taken out, and until we know exactly who we're dealin' with, I don't want you becomin' the next victim."

"My mother may be a liar, John, but she's not capable of committing murder," Jessica chided.

"It's not your mother I'm worried about; it's Grant or whoever else they were conspiring with that concerns me."

"He has a point, Lieutenant," Scully interjected. "Mulder and I have dealt with Spender in the past and he no qualms about using lethal means to justify his own ends. if he is still alive and involved in this, you could be in real danger."

She released a resigned sigh. "Fine; I'm not up to arguing about it anymore. Just take me back to the Bureau so I can get my car and go home."

Doggett nodded in silent agreement and glanced at the Gunmen. "Thanks for your help, boys," he said. "I appreciate you sheddin' some light on all of this."

"Glad we could help, Agent Doggett," Byers replied.

"I'm sorry we had to be the bearers of bad news, Lieutenant," Frohike said.

Jessica managed a small smile. "Thank you for taking the time to help uncover the truth," she responded.

"I'll ride back with Scully," Mulder said, and waited until Jessica and John were out of earshot before addressing his friends. "I know this goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. Nothing we discussed here leaves this room. I don't want you guys to put yourselves at risk, or further jeopardize Jessica."

"Our lips are sealed, Mulder," Byers assured him.

"You seem to be taking the revelation that Lieutenant Doggett is your sister rather well," Scully observed.

"I'm used to living with conspiracies and lies," Mulder pointed out.

"Well it doesn't look like Lieutenant Doggett is as comfortable with the deception as you are," Langley replied. "Although at least we know now who got the looks in your family."

Scully smiled as Mulder rolled his eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**FBI HEADQUARTERS**

The drive back to the city was made in silence, both Jessica and Doggett lost in their own thoughts. Pulling into the parking structure of the Hoover Building, Doggett made his way to the second level and came to a halt behind Jessica's Expedition. Turning off the truck, he turned to face her.

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" he asked. "You've had a pretty emotional day."

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. Right now I'm just sort of numb; the reality of what we discovered hasn't really registered yet. Learning that your entire life has been a lie takes a little getting used to."

"I meant what I said about confrontin' your mother, sweetheart," Doggett replied. "Until we know all the players in this game, it's best that we don't make any dangerous moves."

"Don't worry; I don't it in me to face her tonight. I'm just going to go home, take a long hot bath and try to make sense of all of this."

He nodded. "I'll call you a little later to see how you're doin'."

She smiled. "Thank you, for caring and for being with me through this. I don't think I'd be able to handle it without you."

He smiled back. "What are ex-husbands for?" he asked rhetorically.

Her smiled widened and she leaned over to give him a gentle kiss. "I'll talk with you later."

Opening the door, the lieutenant slid off the seat and out of the truck, then walked around the front toward her car. As she passed by Doggett, however, a sudden thought occurred to her and she stopped to face him.

"I was wrong a minute ago when I said my entire life has been a lie," she amended. "What I have with you is the one truth that has been my anchor since the day Scott brought you home to meet our family. Whatever else happens, I want you to know how much that means to me."

"I promised you a long time ago that I'd always be there when you needed me, Jess, and I never break a promise."

"Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" Jessica asked rhetorically.

"I think you just did."

Doggett waited until Jessica had climbed into her car and successfully started it before turning on his own ignition and heading for home.

 **ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA**

By the time Jessica pulled into her driveway, a light rain had begun to fall, and she made a mental note to take an umbrella when she walked Trouble. Climbing out of her car, she crossed over to the mailbox and pulled out her mail, then began to skim through it as she approached the house, unaware of the figure in the second-floor window that glanced briefly outside upon her arrival before retreating behind the curtains. Reaching the front door, she found it slightly ajar, and instead of being greeted by an excited dog, she was met with only silence.

"Trouble?"

The inquiry received no response and given that Trouble had never failed to welcome her home in the ten years she'd had him, instinct told her something was wrong. Withdrawing her gun from her purse, Jessica aimed it in front of her as she slowly swung the door open with her other hand. Making her way into the living room, she discovered Trouble lying beside the couch, the small bloody hole in his skull indicating he had been shot to death. A small piece of paper was tucked under his collar, and keeping her gun aimed and ready, she knelt beside him to retrieve it. It was on blank paper, but as with the previous note was typed and consisted only of a single line:

"Curiosity doesn't kill only cats."

Her elegant features contorting with grief and anger, Jessica crumpled the note into a ball as she addressed her dead dog.

"Someone's going to answer for this, old man. I promise."

Rising to her feet, she slid her purse off her shoulder and retrieved her cell phone, keeping a watchful eye on the staircase and the kitchen as she dialed for help.

"Nine one one emergency."

"This is Lieutenant Jessica Doggett from Alexandria P.D.," Jessica said, and recited her badge number. "I need a squad car and a special services unit from Animal Control sent to 1101 Braddock Road. I have a home invasion robbery and a murdered dog."

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant."

Jessica ended the call just as a crash sounded from upstairs, and she tossed the phone onto the couch before cautiously making her way up the staircase. At the top of the stairs, she quietly made her way down the hall toward her bedroom. Reaching the doorway, she saw a large man dressed in black holding a gun as he poured what smelled like gasoline throughout the room, and she leveled her gun as she alerted him to her presence.

"Police!" she shouted. "Drop the gun and the gas can and put your hands in the air where I can see them!"

The intruder dropped the can but not his gun and fired at Jessica. She heard the slight whizzing sound as the bullet passed within an inch of her ear and fired off her own shot as she began backing out of the room. Her bullet missed its target and lodged in the wall above her bed as the intruder charged her while firing another round. The second shot struck her in the upper chest near her heart, causing her to drop her gun and stumble backward against the railing. Stopping less than a foot in front of her, the intruder shifted his grip on the gun and used it to strike her across the face, the barrel opening a gash in her cheek. She instinctively reacted by attempting to strike him, but he grabbed her arm in mid swing and used her own momentum to send her hurtling backward over the railing. Too surprised to even scream, Jessica barely had time to brace for impact before she hit the hardwood floor, her left leg crumpling beneath her as her head hit the ground with an audible crack. Gazing at her still form only long enough to ensure she was unconscious, the intruder walked back into the bedroom and tucked his gun into his waistband as he picked up the gas can. Tilting the can, he poured a path of gasoline behind him as he walked back down the hallway and down the stairs. In her living room, he threw the can aside and reached into his pocket to withdraw a lighter. Igniting it on the first flick, he tossed it onto the staircase and then dashed out the back door as the carpet immediately ignited.

 **FALLS CHURCH**

After parting company with Jessica at the Hoover Building, Doggett returned home and changed into casual clothes before heading into the kitchen to fix himself dinner. Once he had eaten, he grabbed a beer out of his refrigerator and wandered into his den to catch up on some old paperwork. He had been home for close to ninety minutes when the phone rang, and setting his work aside, he reached over to pick up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Agent Doggett," an unfamiliar male voice greeted. "You and your former wife have been very busy little bees."

"Who is this?"

"She's a very beautiful woman. It would be such a shame if something were to mar that lovely face."

"I don't know who you are but I'm warnin' you now to stay the hell way from her!"

"Good night, Agent Doggett. I hope you remembered to kiss Jessica good-bye."

The line went dead and a warning bell began to chime in the back of Doggett's brain. He immediately dialed Jessica's number but the answering machine picked up on the second ring. Once the beep sounded, he said, "Jess, it's me. If you can hear me, pick up the phone. It's urgent." A pause. "I'm goin' to try you on your cell phone but if I don't reach you, call me as soon as you get this message."

He severed the call and dialed her cellular number, but again received only voice mail. After leaving a second message, he decided to head over to her house and make sure she was all right. As he made his way into the living room to retrieve a jacket from his hall closet, the phone rang a second time, and he picked up the receiver. "Jess?" he prompted.

"Agent Doggett, this is Captain Phillips. I'm at Alexandria Hospital."

Dread settled into Doggett's stomach like a block of ice. "What's happened to Jess?"

"She's been shot," Phillips told him. "She called 911 to report that someone had broken into her home, and when the squad car arrived the house was engulfed in flames."

"How bad is she hurt?"

"At the moment she's in surgery, but I think you should get down here right away."

"I'm on my way."

Replacing the phone in its cradle, Doggett grabbed his keys and bolted out the door.

 **ALEXANDRIA HOSPITAL**

Sometime later, Doggett was in the waiting room of the ER along with Mulder and Scully, whom a frantic Doggett had called on his way to the hospital. He had told them about the ominous phone call he had received just prior to Phillips', and the three agents agreed that whoever had made the call must also be the person responsible for the sending Jessica the note and the article about the kidnapping. The trio had arrived at the hospital at roughly the same time, and Captain Phillips had been there to greet them. She had told them of the 911 call from the neighbors who had reported hearing gunshots and seeing smoke coming out of the front door of the house. By the time the police and firefighters had arrived, the house was nearly fully engulfed in flames. They had managed to get her out alive, but between her gunshot wound and the smoke inhalation she was in critical condition. Not trusting himself to refrain from confronting Elizabeth Caldwell about Jessica's abduction/adoption and this newest assault, he had lied to Phillips and said he would contact her about Jessica.

As the clock ticked into its third hour since Doggett had received Phillips' call, he stood in the hallway, staring forlornly toward the elevators as if sheer force of will could make the surgeons materialize. In the chairs a few feet away, Mulder and Scully were quiet, watching Doggett worry and wishing they could find a way to ease his anxiety.

"I don't what he'll do if she doesn't make it," Scully remarked. "Losing their son was painful enough, but if Jessica dies, it just may shatter his emotional control."

"She won't die," Mulder declared. "She comes from a family of fighters, remember?"

Scully smiled at that. "You really like her," she observed.

"She's easy to like," Mulder responded. "Actually she reminds me quite a bit of you."

"Do tell."

"She's strong, intelligent; likes kids and animals; and she's fiercely loyal to those she loves. She is also honest and not afraid to speak her mind. And besides, it will be nice to have a chance to be a big brother again."

"You do realize that if she and John do officially reconcile and remarry, then it will make him your brother-in-law," Scully pointed out.

Mulder grimaced. "I hadn't thought of that," he said. "Does that mean I have to sit next to him at Christmas dinner?"

Scully shook her head just as one of the surgeons tending to Jessica emerged from the elevator and approached them. "Which one of you gentlemen is John Doggett?"

"I am," Doggett said.

"Agent Doggett, I'm Patrick Douglas, the cardiac surgeon in charge of your wife's care," he told him.

"How's Jess?"

"Jessica's surgery went very well and we've transferred her to a private room while she recovers. If there are no complications over the next twelve hours, we'll release her in the morning."

"How badly was she hurt?"

"Her most serious injury was the gunshot wound to her chest," Douglas told him. "The bullet grazed one of the cardiac valves and caused some internal bleeding. Fortunately, it missed the heart itself and we were able to extract it once we controlled the bleeding. She's also had a fall of some sort, which resulted in a concussion and a fractured tibia in her left leg. We repaired her leg surgically, but she'll be on crutches for at least a month. The smoke inhalation burned her throat and lungs, but we've given her some medication to ease the pain and she should be breathing normally within a day or so."

"I want to see her."

"Of course. I'll take you to her."

Doggett glanced at his friends. "I appreciate you guys comin' over, but you should get home to Will," he said. "I'll tell Jess you were here."

"Can we get you anything before we go?" Scully asked.

"No, thanks. I just need to see Jess."

"If you need anything, call us," Mulder told him.

"I will."

Bidding them farewell, Doggett followed Douglas down the hall to the elevator, which they rode to the third floor. Once there, Douglas told him Jessica was in the last room on the right and then left him to be alone with her. Doggett made his way to her room and quietly walked inside, then felt his heart constrict at the sight of her. Her left cheek was darkly bruised and covered with a bandage, which was barely discernible against the pallor of her skin, and her left arm was being kept immobile in a sling. The bandages on her chest were visible over the top of her hospital gown and an IV lead into her right arm. The lower half of her left leg was encased in a cast and was propped up on a small pillow on top of the bedcovers. Grabbing a nearby chair, he settled himself beside her and took her free hand in one of his, then lifted his other hand to gently caress her uninjured cheek. She stirred at his touch, and after blinking sleepily a few times focused her gaze on Doggett, her face creasing into a warm smile.

"Hi, Sunshine," she greeted wearily, her voice raspy from smoke damage.

"Hi, sweetheart," Doggett returned softly. "How're you feelin'?"

"Tired," she responded. "And everything hurts."

"I imagine it does."

"They killed Trouble," Jessica told him. "And they left another note. It was tucked under his collar and said 'Curiosity doesn't kill just cats.'"

Anger flickered across his face. "Sick bastards," Doggett muttered.

"I'm scared, John," she confessed. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"No one else will," Doggett declared. "You have my word on that. We're gonna catch these guys, Jess, and when we do I promise they're gonna pay for killin' Scott and Trouble and for tryin' to kill you."

Her smiled widened. "My hero," she replied lightly. "I'm glad you're here."

He smiled back. "So am I. You scared the hell outta me, though. Keep this up and my hair's gonna turn gray."

"I like a man with a little gray," Jessica responded. "It gives you character."

Doggett released a heavy sigh and stilled his hand, lightly resting it on her uninjured cheek. "When I think how close I came to losin' you…"

The thought was left unfinished as his voice cracked, and Jessica placed her own palm against his cheek. "I'm sorry I made you worry," she said softly.

He flashed her a reassuring smile. "I fully expect you to make it up to me."

"I'm sure you do."

"Have I mentioned lately that I love you?"

Surprise flickered across her elegant features for a brief moment before being replaced by joy, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she responded. "I think you just did."

Late the following morning, Jessica had been discharged and was finishing getting dressed when a knock on the door signaled the arrival of a visitor.

"Come in."

The door opened and Mulder walked into the room, flashing her a tentative smile as he walked over to stand in front of her. "For someone who almost died yesterday you don't look half bad," he teased.

"This from a man who spent three months in a coffin before coming back to life," Jessica retorted lightly.

"Well at least nobody tried to turn me into a Human s'more," Mulder countered, then grew serious. "How are you feeling?"

"Remarkably well, actually," she answered. "My chest is pretty sore and I'm going to be limping around in this cast for a month or so because of my broken leg, but otherwise I don't seem to have suffered any permanent damage.

Mulder smiled at her attire, the blue surgical scrubs usually worn by doctors. "Are you trying to start a new fashion trend?" he suggested.

"Hardly. Between the blood and the smoke damage the clothes I was wearing yesterday are ruined, and the rest of my wardrobe went up in flames yesterday along with everything else I own, except my car."

"I'm sorry about your house."

"My house can be replaced," Jessica said, "but Trouble can't, and someone is going to pay for killing him."

Not wanting to dwell on the painful subject, Mulder quickly shifted topics. "Where's your bodyguard?"

"If you're referring to John, he went home to shower and change clothes. He'll be back shortly to pick me up."

Mulder nodded. "He was pretty worried about you last night," he said. "We all were."

Jessica smiled. "I appreciate your concern," she said. "I also want to apologize for snapping at you yesterday. The discovery that I'm really Christina has to be as hard on you as it is on me."

"It threw me for a loop, but unfortunately I've lived with lies and secrets most of my life, so once the initial shock wore off, I was okay with it. How are you holding up?"

"I wish I could wave a magic wand and erase the last twenty-four hours. Discovering that my parents have lied to me my whole life hurts, and I'm mad as hell that uncovering their secret very likely cost Scott his life. Having some petty piece of slime try to kill me and burn my house down after he killed my dog was icing on the cake."

"Petty piece of slime?" Mulder echoed in amusement. "That's certainly an erudite insult."

"Not all of us have the benefit of an Oxford education from which to draw our demeaning descriptions of common criminals," Jessica responded.

His smile widened. "Is concealing insults in a politely phrased sentence something they teach you at those fancy Virginia boarding schools, or do you just come by it naturally?"

"I'll take the Fifth on that."

He shook his head before returning to the previous subject. "So, now that the cat is out of the bag, where does that leave us?"

"I don't know. I like you, Fox…"

"Call me Mulder," he interrupted. "Everyone does."

"Even your parents?"

"My parents and Samantha were the only ones who didn't," Mulder allowed.

"What's wrong with your given name?"

"Fox is an animal; not a name."

Jessica smiled. "Well your issue with your name aside, despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the revelation I am your sister and calling you Mulder feels too informal. Addressing you as Fox seems to be a family tradition, so with your permission I'd like to continue it."

The request triggered a long-forgotten memory, of the night before Samantha's abduction, when she had sat beside him on his bed and engaged him in a similar conversation.

" _You can't expect people to call you by your last name, Fox," she chided. "It makes no sense"._

" _Easy for you to say," Mulder responded. "You have a normal name."_

" _I like your name," Samantha countered. "It's unique, just like you. Besides, I'm your sister and I'll call you what I want to."_

"Hello…are you still with me, Fox?"

Jessica's voice shook him out of his reverie, and he graced her with faint smile. "Sorry," he said. "If you really feel that strongly about it, then I suppose I can chalk it up to sister's prerogative and live with you calling me Fox."

"Thank you. As I was saying, I like you, and despite your less than favorable descriptions I would like to know more about your...our...parents. But to be perfectly honest I don't know that I'm ready to accept you as my brother. I adored Scott, and his death is a wound that's still healing. And I know how much Samantha meant to you, despite your separation."

"Just because I loved Samantha doesn't mean I don't have room in my heart for another sister."

"And just because I loved Scott doesn't mean I don't have room in my heart for another brother," Jessica said. "But we both need time to adjust to it, and there are still a lot of questions about why I was taken and why somebody is going to so much trouble to keep me from answering those questions. Not to mention the inevitable confrontations with my mother and Alan Grant."

"As long as we're on the subject, what do you intend to do about them?" Mulder asked. "There is no statute of limitations on kidnapping, but we'd have a hell of a time proving it."

"I haven't even thought about any legal ramifications," Jessica replied, "but at this point in time it wouldn't serve any purpose. Pressing charges against them won't give me back the life I lost when I was abducted, and it won't bring Scott back."

He gave her an assessing glance. "You're certainly less bitter than I expected you to be."

"Feeling sorry for myself isn't my style, and after having to bury my son, living with my mother's deception pales in comparison."

The squeak of the opening door interrupted their conversation and they both glanced over expectantly as Doggett entered the room. He greeted Mulder with a brief smile before addressing Jessica. "You ready to go?"

She nodded. "I contacted a friend who works at the Marriott and she's made arrangements for me to stay there until I can find a new place to live."

"You're not stayin' in a public hotel," Doggett countered. "You may as well paint a target on your back."

"I don't have a lot of options, John. Staying with my mother is obviously out of the question and I won't risk Sarah and the kids getting hurt by staying with them."

"You're overlookin' the safest option," Doggett responded. "You're stayin' with me."

That shocked her into silence. Sensing things were about to get too personal for outside observation, Mulder decided it was time to make himself scarce.

"I think now would be a good time for me to leave," he said to no one in particular. "I'll catch up with you two later."

He beat a hasty retreat, and once they were alone, Doggett spoke again.

"I do believe this is the first time I've ever seen Jessica Doggett at a loss for words," he teased, repeating the quip she had made to him when she had re-entered his life barely a week before.

"John…" Jessica began. "I appreciate your sense of responsibility or chivalry or whatever it is that prompted you to make the offer but staying with you isn't an option."

"Why not? I've got plenty of room, and I'll feel a hell of a lot better knowin' you're somewhere safe."

"It's not that simple," Jessica replied. "Do you remember when we began dating the summer you were discharged from the Corps? Five months after we began seeing each other, you finally told me that you loved me. Do you remember what I told you when you asked me to move in with you?"

He thought for a moment before responding. "You said that livin' together wasn't a lifetime commitment because when things got tough, one of us could always walk away."

"I also said that the day I shared a home with you it would be as your wife, because I wasn't going to settle for less than forever with you. The same principle applies here. I can't move in with you – even temporarily – when I know there's a chance we could wind up back where we started; at just friends."

"That sounds like an ultimatum," Doggett said carefully.

"It's not," Jessica assured him quickly. "But I don't want to risk either of us getting hurt by starting something we won't finish. I know you, John, and you have the strongest personal code of honor of anyone I've ever met. Because of our past you feel an obligation to take care of me, and I adore you for it. But I don't want that to influence your real feelings about reconciling with me."

"You think that I want you livin' under my roof because I feel obligated to you?" he asked incredulously. "Maybe we should get one of the doctors in here to re-examine your head cuz you're obviously delusional."

The comment earned him a frown from his ex-wife, but she waited in patient silence for him to continue. Closing the distance between them, Doggett lifted his hands to cup her face in his palms, careful to avoid brushing against the stitches in her left cheek.

"I appreciate your sense of reverse chivalry by tryin' to protect me from you, sweetheart, but I assure you that I'm doin' exactly what I want to do. I love you, and as far as our marital status goes, I intend to rectify that situation just as soon as we get rid of whoever it is that's tryin' to kill you."

Jessica's sapphire blue eyes welled with unshed tears. "If that's a proposal, Agent Doggett, it's certainly the most obscure one I've ever heard," she chided.

"Maybe this will help," he replied, and reaching into his pocket, withdrew her wedding band and slid it onto her finger as he gave her a warm smile. "I love you, Jessica Alexandra Doggett. Will you do me the honor of marryin' me again?"

"Absolutely, positively, anytime, anywhere," came the emphatic response.

His smile widened as he lowered his head to kiss her.


	10. Chapter 10

**FBI HEADQUARTERS**

Mulder and Scully were in their office discussing the Triad file when Reyes walked in and smiled at them in greeting.

"Hello you two," she said.

"Welcome back, Monica," Scully responded. "How was your vacation?"

"Very relaxing, but it is good to be home," Reyes answered. "Where's John?"

"He's taking care of some personal business," Mulder told her. "He should be here shortly."

Reyes nodded. "So did I miss anything exciting while I was gone?" she asked innocently.

Scully and Mulder exchanged a look, and at Scully's nod, Mulder handed Reyes the file. "See for yourself."

Reyes took the file and flipped it open, then began scanning the notes and documents inside, surprise registering on her face as she read through the various papers. When she had finished, she glanced up at Mulder. "Jessica Doggett is your sister?"

"Yep. As Agent Doggett is so fond of pointing out, God has an odd sense of humor."

Reyes closed the file and handed it back to Mulder. "How did John take the news?"

"How did I take the news about what?"

The three agents turned at his voice to see Doggett enter his office, shadowed by a limping Jessica, who was now dressed in jeans and an oversized U.S.M.C. sweatshirt that obviously belonged to Doggett. Hobbling across the room on one crutch, she promptly settled into a chair next to Doggett's desk after dragging over a second one to prop up her injured leg, while Doggett sat in his own chair.

"If human beings had been meant to walk with only one leg we'd have been born that way," she muttered.

"Wouldn't it be easier for you to use two crutches?" Scully asked.

"I can't," Jessica answered. "It puts too much pressure on my shoulder and aggravates the gunshot wound."

"I assume you resolved the issue of Jessica's living arrangements?" Mulder inquired casually.

"She's stayin' with me," Doggett answered, his tone making it clear that the subject was not open for further discussion.

Reyes was clearly not happy to hear about their co-habitation, but nonetheless gave Jessica a neutral smile. "I was sorry to hear about your brother, Lieutenant," she said.

"Thank you," came the automatic response.

"What were you askin' about me when Jess and I walked in?" Doggett prompted.

"I was just wondering how you reacted to the news that Lieutenant Doggett is apparently Agent Mulder's long-lost sister," Reyes clarified.

Doggett glanced at Mulder. "I wasn't aware we were makin' the information public knowledge," he said tightly.

"I didn't put an ad in The Washington Post, Agent Doggett," Mulder countered dryly, "and Agent Reyes is one of us."

"If it will make you feel better, John, I'll loan you my crutch so you can whack him across the head," Jessica offered.

The jest had the desired effect, and Doggett's ire cooled. "Sorry," he apologized. "I'm just a little edgy right now."

"So how exactly did all of you discover that Lieutenant Doggett is Agent Mulder's sister?" Reyes asked.

Doggett gave her a condensed version of the events of the past week, concluding with yesterday's attempt on Jessica's life.

"That explains your injuries," Reyes said as she glanced at Jessica. "Have you confronted your mother about any of this yet?"

"No. Aside from the fact that I spent last night in the hospital, I haven't decided how to go about telling her what I know. I have no idea how deep her involvement in this goes, and I need to know as much in advance as I can before I finally call her on it."

The ring of the phone on Doggett's desk interrupted their conversation, and he reached over to answer it. "John Doggett." He paused a moment to listen to the caller, and his gaze shifted to Jessica. "Yes, Ma'am, Senator; she's right here." Pulling the receiver away from his ear, he covered the mouthpiece with his hand as he said, "It's your mother. She got a phone call from the press about what happened last night and she wants to talk to you."

"How the hell did the press find out about it?" Jessica asked.

"Face it; as Elizabeth Caldwell's daughter, anything that happens to you is news," Doggett replied. "Are you gonna talk to her?"

"Do I have a choice?" came the rhetoric response, and she reached over to take the phone from Doggett. "Hello?"

"Would you care to explain why I had to learn from a reporter that someone burned your house down last night with you inside of it?" Elizabeth demanded.

"It was nothing, Mom," Jessica demurred. "I interrupted a burglar and he was trying to eliminate the witness."

"It was more than 'nothing', Jessica," Elizabeth countered sharply. "I called the hospital and they told me you were kept overnight after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet from your chest."

"I'm a police officer, remember? Getting shot on occasion comes with the territory."

"I don't appreciate your attitude, Jessica, and I don't understand why I wasn't notified when you were admitted to the ER."

"Because I told them to call John first," Jessica admitted.

Elizabeth released an irritated sigh. "Well, I trust that if something else happens you'll grant me the courtesy of having someone call to tell me?"

"I've got to go, Mom," the lieutenant evaded. "I'll talk to you later."

Without waiting for a response, she replaced the receiver in its cradle and met Doggett's questioning gaze. "What?"

"If you're goin' to snipe at your mother every time you talk to her, eventually you're goin' to have to tell her why," he said.

"Given what I've discovered in the last twenty-four hours I think I'm entitled to be a bit bitter," Jessica retorted.

"Just don't whack her over the head with your crutch," Mulder interjected dryly.

"Very funny, Fox."

"I hate to interrupt this impromptu session of Family Feud," Scully interjected, "but I have a suggestion to make."

The others glanced at her expectantly, and Scully directed her attention to Jessica.

"Given your mother's position, I think it would be a good idea for us to bring Skinner in on the case. If any of this gets out to the public, it will be in our best interests to have told the powers that be ourselves."

"Can you trust him?" Jessica asked.

"Yes."

A pause. "I don't suppose his office is on this floor?" Jessica asked.

"Nope," Mulder said. "Third floor."

The lieutenant sighed as she glanced woefully at the crutch propped against her chair. "It figures."

Nearly ten minutes later, Mulder, Scully, Jessica and Doggett were ushered into Skinner's office by his secretary. Once they were inside, Skinner closed the door and crossed the room to resume his seat behind his desk. As the others settled into the chairs, Jessica claimed the small loveseat so she could prop up her injured leg, and Skinner discreetly observed the two couples. Mulder and Scully were the most obvious opposites; her red hair, cerulean blue eyes and petite stature were a direct contrast to Mulder's height and darker coloring. Jessica and Doggett on the other hand, were more evenly matched physically; she was only four inches shorter than his height of six feet and her dark blonde hair was nearly the same shade as his light brown. Yet Jessica's sapphire blue eyes were much darker than Doggett's ice blue ones, and her casual attire an odd contrast to his custom-tailored suit.

"All right, Ladies and Gentlemen; which one of you wants to tell me what this little gathering is all about?" Skinner prompted.

"It's complicated, sir," Doggett said.

"Isn't everything with you three?" Skinner responded drolly.

The three agents exchanged sheepish looks as over on the loveseat, Jessica smiled to herself, and then Mulder addressed Skinner.

"Last week Agent Doggett volunteered to help Lieutenant Doggett investigate the death of her brother, Scott Caldwell, in a car crash," he began. "Based on the testimony from a couple who witnessed the accident, we have reason to believe the car that crashed into Scott's was being driven by Billy Miles."

"Billy Miles?" Skinner echoed. "What rock did he crawl out from under?"

"We haven't been able to find that out," Mulder answered. "Unfortunately, he disappeared again immediately following the accident. In any event, the day after her brother's funeral, Lieutenant Doggett received an anonymous note that read 'Dead men tell no tales', and it was accompanied by a newspaper clipping regarding my sister Christina's kidnapping almost forty years ago. At that point, she contacted me to help ascertain what the connection was between Scott's death and the kidnapping, which is what the note seemed to intimate."

"We did some digging," Scully continued, "and based in part on the copy of an adoption certificate for Lieutenant Doggett which was found in a file bearing her name in Scott Caldwell's office, we've discovered that she is in actuality Agent Mulder's presumed dead sister, Christina."

It took a moment for the revelation to sink in, and when it did, Skinner's eyes widened in surprise as he glanced at Mulder. "Lieutenant Doggett is your sister?"

"Yes, sir."

He frowned. "How would your kidnapped sister wind up being raised in one of the country's most prominent families?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Jessica replied. "Up until forty-eight hours ago, I wasn't even aware I was adopted. My parents never told me."

The A.D. took a moment to absorb what he had been told before responding. "If what you're saying is true, then it would seem to indicate that your parents were at least indirectly involved with your kidnapping."

"It's beginnin' to look that way, sir," Doggett allowed. "The adoption certificate was signed by Alan Grant, who was Edward Caldwell's business partner."

"Do you have proof of any of this?"

Doggett handed him the Triad file. "Everything we've got so far is in here," he said.

Skinner opened the file and swiftly scanned its contents, including the information Mulder had gotten from the Boston Bureau, the amateur DNA tests done by the Gunmen and a copy of the police report on the attempted murder of Jessica the previous day. The others waited in silence for him to finish reading and when he did he closed the folder and glanced up at them, addressing Jessica when he spoke.

"Well the evidence certainly seems to indicate that whoever was in on the kidnapping with your parents and Grant all those years ago is now trying to kill anyone who has uncovered the truth," he remarked. "Have you given any thought to staying in a safe house?"

The beautiful blonde shifted her gaze to Doggett for the briefest of moments before focusing on Skinner. "I already am," she said simply.

Skinner glanced from Jessica to Doggett, who suddenly seemed fascinated with his shoes, and the A.D. permitted himself a faint smile. "I see," he said. "What about your mother? Have you spoken to her yet?"

"Not about what we've discovered, no. John and Fox convinced me that we should wait until we know who and what we're dealing with before confronting her."

Skinner paused. "With all due respect, Lieutenant, all of this evidence is circumstantial," he reminded her. "Even if you were able to initiate formal charges against Grant, your mother is a U.S. Senator. Finding a judge and/or a jury to indict her would be extremely difficult."

"I understand that, sir," Jessica responded. "That's why we're here. Whether or not charges are filed against anyone, sooner or later the information about my adoption will be leaked to the public, and the media will have a field day wondering why Elizabeth Caldwell never revealed that her daughter was not her biological child. Once that plants the kernel of curiosity, it's only a matter of time before the full details about how my parents...the Caldwells…acquired me are discovered. Given that Fox is an FBI agent and that a former agent was an accessory to the kidnapping, the Bureau is going to receive a great deal of unwanted publicity. John and his partners felt it would be better for all of us if we were to come to you with our information before it becomes public fodder."

"Fair enough, Lieutenant," Skinner responded, and glanced at his agents. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you to be careful and discreet while you proceed with this investigation, and from now on I want to be informed of anything else that comes out of this."

"Yes, sir," Mulder, Scully and Doggett responded in unison.

As always, the acrid smell of smoke permeated the air as he entered the room.

"I am here as requested."

"My sources tell me that Lieutenant Doggett was released from the hospital this morning after being treated for smoke inhalation and undergoing surgery for her gunshot wound."

"Yes. I made certain that the information was 'leaked' to the media."

"And you've tied up the loose ends we spoke of?"

"Of course."

"Excellent. It will take our people a few days to get everything in order, and then we will reveal the rest of the puzzle to Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder."

"What do you require of me in the meantime?"

"Keep an eye on Grant and the lady Senator. I don't want them tipping our hand before we're prepared to finish the game."

"Understood."


	11. Chapter 11

**ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA**

A week passed, and Jessica and Doggett comfortably settled into cohabitation. A trip to the local mall had restored Jessica's wardrobe and a few personal effects, but most of what she valued was forever lost because of the fire. Although the couple was sharing a bed, they had not yet made love; partly due to the necessity for Jessica's complete recovery and partly due to the desire to let the physically intimate aspect of their relationship resume naturally. Following the destruction of her home and Trouble's murder, no further attempts were made on the lieutenant's life, and no further information regarding her abduction/adoption had been revealed. Mulder, Scully and Doggett continued to investigate what leads they had, and had enlisted Reyes' help as well.

Early in the afternoon on the two-week anniversary of Scott's death, Jessica was in her office catching up on her case load when she heard Lupen and his partner David Griffin talking in the hallway outside.

"It's too bad that witness of ours turned up dead at the bottom of the Potomac," Griffin remarked. "He could have made our entire case against Rogers."

"Rogers was too smart to leave any witnesses alive to finger him for the girl's murder," Lupen responded. "After all, dead men tell no tales, right?"

"Damn straight," Griffin agreed. "Well, I don't know about you, but I could use a nice, cold beer. Want to head over the Bart's Deli and grab a steak sandwich and a couple of Coors?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two men headed out of the station as an astonished Jessica attempted to assimilate what she had just overheard.

" _After all, dead men tell no tales, right?"_

Lupen's off the cuff remark was too similar to the statement in the first note she had received to be just a coincidence, and she felt the anger well up inside her.

"If he had anything to do with Scott's murder I'm going to castrate the bastard," she muttered to herself, just as another thought occurred to her and she picked up the phone to dial her brother's office. Gillian answered on the second ring. "Good Afternoon. Thank you for calling Grant & Caldwell."

"Hi, Gillian. It's Jessica Doggett."

"Hello, Jessica. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I was calling because I was hoping you could do me a favor."

"Certainly."

"I'm reviewing the notes in the file on Scott's accident, and it seems that the detective who came to the office to retrieve his things forgot to put the inventory list in the file. Do you by chance remember who it was?"

"Of course," Gillian responded. "It was that good-looking Hispanic fellow, the one Scott said was always trying to hit on you. I think his name is Miguel Lucas."

"Miguel Lupen," Jessica corrected evenly.

"Yes, that's him."

 _He's a dead man_ , she thought to herself. To Gillian she said, "Thanks for your help, Gillian."

Hanging up the phone, she buried her face in her hands in an attempt to reign in her emotions.

"Looks like someone's havin' a bad day."

The lieutenant glanced up to see Doggett hovering in her doorway and flashed him a weary smile. "That may be the understatement of the year," she said. "Come in and shut the door behind you."

Giving her a curious look, he did as she requested and settled himself in the chair in front of her desk. "Has something happened?"

Jessica told him what she had overheard. "Once I made the connection between Miguel's comment and the first note, I suddenly remembered what Scott's assistant Gillian had told me about one of my detectives showing up at the firm to retrieve his personal effects. I called her to ask if she remembered who it was, and she identified Lupen."

"That would explain how he got access to Scott's personal stationery," Doggett mused. "And it would explain how my mysterious caller from the night you were assaulted knew you by name."

"If we can get a record of every phone call he made that day from his cell phone, we could trace the call to your number."

"In order to do that, we'd need his cell phone number."

Jessica smiled. "Rank has its privileges," she replied, and retrieved a small key from her desk as she stood up. "Follow me."

Grabbing her crutches, Jessica exited her office and made her way across the room and into a small storage area, containing several filing cabinets. Walking over to the one marked "Personnel", she unlocked it and pulled open the second drawer. Flipping through the files, she found the one marked **LUPEN, MIGUEL R**. and pulled it out. Opening it, she scanned the papers inside until she found the one she was looking for.

"Bingo," she said aloud. "Under pager/cellular numbers, we have 202-555-6988."

Doggett withdrew his cellular phone and dialed his office.

"Monica Reyes."

"Monica, it's me. Grab a pen and write this number down: 202-555-6988."

"Got it," Reyes said. "What am I doing with it?"

"This is the cell number for an Alexandria P.D. homicide detective named Miguel Lupen. I need to get a record of all the calls he made from this number last Tuesday."

"What am I looking for?"

"We think he may be connected to Scott Caldwell's murder," Doggett told her. "How soon can you get me the information?"

"I should have something for you by tomorrow morning."

"Fine. I'll be at the office around 9:00 a.m."

"I'll see you then."

Doggett ended the call and pocketed his cell phone, then looked over at Jessica to find her watching him with an odd expression on her face. "What?"

"Any particular reason you called Agent Reyes first, and not Fox or Dana?" she asked.

"They left early to spend some time with Will," Doggett answered. "But I don't see why it matters. You got something against Monica?"

"Not at all, but it's fairly obvious that she cares about you."

"Most friends do."

Jessica smiled. "Let me rephrase the statement: it's fairly obvious that she's in love with you."

Doggett snorted. "You think Monica's in love with me?" he asked incredulously. "You're nuts, sweetheart."

The lieutenant replaced Lupen's file before turning to face Doggett. "As a woman who knows what it's like to love you, I recognize the signs in Agent Reyes," she clarified patiently. "You may not see it, but I do."

He paused. "Even if what you're sayin' is true, it's not mutual. Monica is nothing more to me than a friend. I made it clear to her a long time ago that I wasn't ready for anything else until I resolved my feelings for you."

Her smile widened and she gently placed her palm against his cheek. "I appreciate the clarification, Sunshine, but I wasn't worried about that. My concern is that until you settle the issue permanently by telling her we're getting remarried, then she may still be holding on to the hope that I'll be out of your life again once we solve Scott's murder and my abduction."

"She knows we're livin' together, Jess; I'm fairly certain she can put two and two together."

Jessica sighed. "I'm trying to make an issue out of nothing, John, but I honestly think you need to set the record straight with Agent Reyes," she replied. "She's your friend and your colleague and for both of your sakes you need to definitively tell her that that's all it's going to be."

Doggett echoed her sigh. "Fine; as soon as I get the chance to have a private conversation with her, I'll fill her in on our engagement."

"Thank you."

"If you're done lecturin' me, could we go to dinner now? We're gonna miss our reservation."

"Fine, but after that crack about being lectured you're buying."

The couple headed out of the police station just as Jessica's cell phone rang, and she pulled it out of her purse. "Hello?"

"I hope you're going to tell me that you are on your way home to change into formal wear for my fundraiser tonight," Elizabeth said.

"Hello, Mother," Jessica responded stiffly. "Actually I'd forgotten about your shindig and was on my way to dinner with John."

"Well you're living with him now so you can have dinner every other night," Elizabeth declared. "I'll send a car for the two of you at 6:00 p.m."

Without giving Jessica a chance to respond, Elizabeth ended the call, and Jessica released an aggravated sigh as she replaced her phone in her purse.

"I take it from your unhappy expression and the brevity of the call that Elizabeth has summoned you to one of her infamous political parties?" Doggett prompted.

"She's summoned us," Jessica corrected. "She's sending a car for us at six o'clock."

"Are you gonna be okay with puttin' in a public appearance with her now that you know what she did?"

"Unless I want to tell her that I know, I have no choice," Jessica responded. "Besides, with you by my side I can handle anything."

"Well at least we'll be in a public place so I won't have to worry about you whacking her with one of your crutches."

"Thank God for small favors."

They shared a smile at their silliness and climbed into John's truck.

 **GEORGETOWN**

Elizabeth's fundraiser was a private party being held in the townhouse of one of Washington's most prominent attorneys and staunchest Democrats, Michael Kelly. He and his wife Nicole were close friends of Elizabeth's, and Michael was her personal attorney. Nicole was hovering near the door talking with another guest when Jessica and John arrived, and she quickly excused herself to make her way over to greet them.

"Good evening, Jessica," she greeted. "I heard about what happened to you last week and I'm so glad to see you're up and about."

"More or less," Jessica responded wryly, gesturing with her crutches. "Unfortunately, I'm stuck with these for another three weeks."

"Let me know if you need a physical therapist," Nicole said. "I broke my ankle skiing last year and my rehab therapist was wonderful."

"I'll keep that in mind. You remember my ex-husband, John Doggett."

"Of course," Nicole responded. "You were at Scott's funeral."

"Yes, Ma'am," Doggett confirmed.

Just then Michael joined them and greeted Jessica with a warm hug. "Hello, Jessica," he said. "It's good to see you."

"Thanks, Michael."

He glanced at John. "Agent Doggett," he acknowledged. "Nice to see the Bureau lets you boys off your leashes once in a while."

"A pleasure to see you too, Mister Kelly," Doggett responded dryly.

"You two know each other?" Jessica prompted.

"We've crossed paths on occasion," Doggett allowed.

"Usually on opposite sides," Michael added. "But I admire a man who has enough intestinal fortitude to stand up for what he believes in."

"Thank you."

Michael returned his attention to Jessica. "I understand you had a close call last week after you interrupted a burglar," he remarked. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thank you. John's been taking very good care of me."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"We should probably track down your mother and say hello," Doggett interjected.

"Of course. Will you excuse us, Michael?"

As Nicole and Michael returned to their guests, Jessica glanced at Doggett as they made their own way through the crowd. "Why the sudden desire to see my mother?" she asked.

"The sooner we see her, the sooner you can relax and enjoy the evening," Doggett answered. "You're so tense about seein' her you'll shatter into pieces if you sneeze too hard."

Jessica did not bother to deny it and instead gave him a look of mock annoyance. "Have I mentioned lately how irritating it is that you know me so well?"

"I love you too, sweetheart."

After being stopped in the crowd by family friends, they discovered Elizabeth in the living room talking with her Chief of Staff Robert Connor and his wife Patricia. Taking a deep breath to maintain her composure, Jessica made her way over to them with John a step behind her.

"Good evening, all," she greeted.

"Jessica, darling, how nice of you to put in an appearance," Elizabeth responded, and embraced her in a brief hug.

"Don't start, Mother," the lieutenant whispered stiffly.

Elizabeth ignored the admonition as she shifted her attention to Doggett. "Good to see you again, John," she said.

"Thank you for inviting me, Senator," Doggett responded formally.

"I don't believe we've met," Connor interjected, and extended his hand. "I'm Robert Connor, and this is my wife Patricia."

Doggett exchanged a handshake with both of them as he supplied his name. "John Doggett. Nice to meet you."

"Doggett?" Connor echoed. "As in Jessica's ex-husband?"

"Ex and future husband," Jessica answered.

"You're getting remarried?" Elizabeth queried. "That's wonderful!"

"Congratulations to both of you," Connor added.

"Thank you," Doggett said.

"Have you set a date?" Patricia inquired.

"Not yet," Jessica responded. "We've had a lot of professional issues to deal with lately and haven't had the chance to make specific plans."

"Well when you do I hope that this time I'll hear about them from you and not the Post," Elizabeth replied.

Not knowing or caring if the remark had been meant as a jest, the lieutenant shot her mother an icy glare. "Another comment like that one and you won't hear about it all," she said tightly. "I'm an adult, Mother, and not required to check in with you about every move I make."

"Jess…" Doggett began, but she cut him off.

"Save it, John!" she snapped, and again addressed Elizabeth. "Out of respect for your friends and colleagues I'm not going to make a public scene, but I'm not going to play the part of the dutiful daughter anymore. I've discovered your little secret, _Elizabeth_ ; does the name Carl Spender ring a bell?"

The senator's face instantly went white. "How much do you know?" she asked in a near whisper.

"I know enough to want you to stay the hell away from me until I'm ready to discuss it," Jessica declared heatedly, and glanced over her shoulder at Doggett. "Let's go."

Without waiting for a response or excusing herself from the others, she pushed her way into the crowd and started toward the door.

"How did she find out about Spender?" Elizabeth asked of Doggett.

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information, Senator," Doggett evaded. "Excuse me."

Keeping an eye on his fiancée's hastily retreating form, Doggett pushed his way into the crowd after her, leaving a shocked and anxious Elizabeth alone with her friends.

"What was that all about?" Connor wondered aloud.

"Old ghosts," Elizabeth responded, and excusing herself, disappeared into the crowd. A moment later she encountered Alan Grant near the study and quickly pulled him inside.

"We have a problem," she said, "Jessica and John were just here, and apparently they know about the adoption."

Grant frowned. "How do you know?" he asked.

"Jessica said she had discovered my 'little secret' and mentioned the name Carl Spender to me," Elizabeth revealed.

"I don't suppose she mentioned how she uncovered the information?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Neither she nor John were willing to tell me."

He sighed. "Somehow I'm not surprised," he said. "But even if they have discovered Jessica is adopted, there isn't a whole lot they can do with the information."

"If it gets leaked to the public they won't have to do anything; the media will crucify us."

"Paranoia doesn't become you, Elizabeth," Grant chided. "I suggest you talk to your daughter and convince her not to air the family's dirty laundry in public. There are other people besides us who would not be pleased should the truth of Jessica's parentage be revealed."

The senator gave him an even look. "Surely that isn't a threat I hear in your voice," she replied carefully.

"Just make sure your daughter and Doggett keep their mouths shut," Grant retorted, and left the study.

A light rain had begun to fall when Doggett caught up with Jessica a block away from the townhouse.

 _For a woman on crutches she moves pretty damn quickly_ , he thought wryly. Aloud he shouted, "Damnit, Jess, slow down!"

Jessica stopped at the sound of his voice and pivoting on her crutches, turned to face him. "I suppose you're going to chastise me for letting my temper take over," she said.

"I warned you when you got out of the hospital about allowin' your anger to show when you're dealin' with your mother," Doggett replied. "We still don't know who orchestrated your abduction all those years ago, or why they're apparently willin' to murder anyone who uncovers the truth. I almost lost you last week; I'm not gonna go through that again."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right; I shouldn't have let myself react to her needling. But I'm just so furious with her for lying to me and when she went into mother superior mode, I just snapped."

"At the risk of soundin' like a broken record, sooner or later you're gonna have to find a way to deal with her," Doggett reminded her.

"I know, but obviously it's not going to be tonight."

He flashed her a sympathetic smile. "Well it is still early, and we never did get around to havin' dinner."

She smiled back. "You still buying?"

"I could be persuaded."

Her smile widened and she slid her arms around his neck to pull him down for a lengthy kiss. "Was that sufficient motivation?"

"Kiss me again and I'll throw in dessert."

Jessica laughed before she did just that.


	12. Chapter 12

**FALLS CHURCH**

Just over two hours later, the couple had finished dinner and returned home, and were now sequestered in the living room, cuddled under a blanket and propped against the couch as they drank hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire. John was in sweats and an NYPD t-shirt, while Jessica wore a satin robe the same shade of blue as her eyes. Her knee brace lay in the nearby loveseat, having been removed for comfort so she could sleep, and her crutches were propped against the chair. Outside the misty rain had evolved into a full-fledged thunderstorm, and the occasional clap of thunder broke the sound of the rain crashing against the house. It also caused Jessica to start involuntarily, as she had harbored a fear of thunderstorms since childhood.

At Jessica's request, no mention had been made of recent events and instead she and John had engaged in general small talk, ranging from politics to sports to rookie horror stories from their early days on the force. The casual conversation and intimacy of their earlier dinner and current setting was serving to fuel the flame of desire between them, and they both knew that they would be lovers again before the night was over.

After getting up to add another log on the fire, Doggett resumed his seat on the couch beside Jessica, noticing that a small smile creased her lovely face as she sipped at her cocoa.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said.

"I was just remembering nights like this that we spent in our house in New York," Jessica revealed.

"Although it was usually snow storms that kept us inside."

"Must be a grown-up thing," John allowed, "cuz being outside when it was barely above freezin' never seemed to bother Luke. As soon as you finished puttin' on his clothes, he'd collect Trouble and bolt out the door."

"I remember the afternoon he tried to make Trouble into a living 'Snow Dog'. It was the first time I'd ever seen a blue Mastiff."

"I still remember the look on the vet's face when we explained how Trouble had gotten hypothermia in the first place," John responded. "Poor woman didn't know whether to laugh at Luke's ingenuity or scold him for puttin' Trouble at risk."

"I hope they're together now," Jessica replied softly.

"Are you kiddin'?" Doggett asked rhetorically. "They're probably wreakin' as much havoc in Heaven with the angels as they did here when they were still livin. I guarantee Scott and my folks have their hands full keepin' them in line."

The lieutenant tilted her head back and flashed him a warm smile. "All this talk of angels and heaven makes you sound like your father," she remarked.

He shrugged. "Once a preacher's son, always a preacher's son."

"Jeremiah Doggett was a good man," Jessica said. "And Rose was one of the kindest women I've ever known. You and Emily have every reason to be proud to be their children. I, on the other hand, seem to have been granted parents who lie as easily as they draw breath and aren't above hurting their children to get what they want."

"Would you be talkin' about the Mulders or the Caldwells?"

"Take your pick." She paused long enough to stand up and limp into the kitchen, and Doggett rose as well to follow her. "Fox has painted a rather grim portrait of his parents, and you know firsthand what Elizabeth and Edward were apparently capable of. If I had known twelve years ago what I do now, I may not have risked repeating history by having Luke."

Doggett gently but firmly cupped her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. "You were a wonderful mother, Jess; there isn't a boy on the planet who received more love than what you gave Luke."

"He was easy to love," Jessica responded, and downed the last sip of her cocoa. "Well I don't know about you, but I think we can find a more productive way to pass the rest of the evening than just talking. I believe there's the small matter of an open invitation you have yet to accept?"

John smiled. "Is that your way of sayin' it's time I should collect?"

She smiled back. "Absolutely."

Confiscating her cup, John leaned over to place it on the counter before he bent over to slide an arm behind her knees and picked her up to carry her back into the living room. Setting her on her feet in front of the couch, he quickly divested her of her robe and shed his own clothing before taking a moment to admire the woman before him.

"You are exquisite, Jess..."

Except for the surgical scars adorning her left shoulder and knee, her fair skin bore no blemishes, and was as soft as the silk of her robe. Her arms and legs were taut with sculpted muscle, a testament to her fondness for physical activity, and her firm stomach was slightly concave. Bending down, he briefly placed his cheek against her abdomen and placed a light kiss over her navel. The reverence of the gesture was not lost on Jessica, as it was clearly meant to pay homage to their lost children, and her eyes welled with tears as she choked back a sob.

"I love you," she said shakily.

Rising to his feet, John gave her a brief kiss before murmuring "I love you" and shifting his attention to her breasts, closing his mouth over her nearest nipple as he lowered her to the floor. She groaned aloud as he began to suckle, lavishing the rosy peak with his tongue as he teased the other with his hand. A moment later his mouth released her breast and he trailed a series of kisses down her stomach before shifting position to rain another series of feather light kisses down the length of each leg. Reaching her feet, he massaged each one in turn, then gave every toe a gentle tug with his teeth before kissing his way up her leg. As Jessica squirmed with need beneath him, he at last arrived at the curls above her core and shifted to cover her with his mouth. At the first flick of his tongue, she released a throaty moan and arched against him, burying her hands in his hair.

"Sweet Jesus…John…"

Doggett continued his assault on her most sensitive spot, lavishing her with his tongue as he slid a pair of fingers deep into her sheath, finding her warm and wet. Jessica whimpered with desire as he continued to drive her toward her climax, and a final flick of his tongue sent her over the edge. Her contractions had yet to subside when she felt his erection prodding at her core, and she lifted her hips as he slid inside of her.

"Welcome home," Jessica whispered.

Her benediction and the feel of her contracting against him nearly produced his climax right there, and Doggett remained still for a moment to regain control. Eventually he began to move, feeling Jessica match him thrust for thrust, and he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss as their bodies moved in perfect harmony. They climaxed simultaneously, both crying out in sweet release, and they collapsed together on top of the sheets. He reluctantly withdrew from her and reached for the blanket on the end of the couch, pulling it down with him to cover them. Jessica curled against his side, her head resting on his chest as Doggett lightly ran his hand up and down her spine. Exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed by their combined responses, they drifted off to sleep entwined in each other's arms.

Always an early riser due to his years in the military, Doggett was the first to awaken the following morning, overwhelmed with a sense of peace that he had not experienced in five years. After a second lovemaking session in front of the fire, the couple had managed to make it to the bedroom, only to start their loving all over again. Outside the rain was still pouring down, beating on the roof and sides of the house in rhythm with the blowing wind. Jessica had turned toward him in her sleep, and lay with her head nestled into his neck, her legs entwined with his. A particularly loud clap of thunder sounded then, causing her to flinch in her sleep, and Doggett pressed a gentle kiss against her temple.

 _I love you_ , he declared silently.

As if sensing his thoughts, Jessica began to stir, and after a moment he felt her sigh against his chest before she opened her eyes and found him watching her.

"Good morning Sunshine," she greeted, her voice husky with the last vestiges of sleep.

"Good mornin' yourself," Doggett echoed softly.

"Thank you for last night," Jessica said.

"You're very welcome," Doggett responded. "How are you feelin'?"

"Like I've found a part of myself that was missing for five years."

"I assure you it's entirely mutual."

They exchanged a light kiss before she settled back against his chest. "What time is it?"

He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "Almost six a.m."

She groaned at that. "I'd forgotten what inhumane hours you keep," she grumbled.

Doggett smiled. "I was going to suggest that we get dressed and grab some breakfast before we go to work, but it's still rainin' cats and dogs out there," he said.

Jessica smiled back. "In that case why don't we stay inside and make love, and then I'll make us breakfast before we go to work?" she suggested innocently.

"I think that's a much better idea."

Her chuckle was smothered in his kiss.

 **FBI HEADQUARTERS**

Reyes was alone in the office when Doggett arrived, and she flashed him a reserved smile.

"Good morning, John," she greeted coolly.

"Mornin', Monica."

"I understand congratulations are in order," Reyes replied.

Doggett frowned. "Congratulations?" he echoed in confusion.

Glancing down at the paper on her desk, she read aloud from the page in front of her. "Although still recovering from the loss of her son Scott in a car crash two weeks ago, Senator Elizabeth Caldwell has announced that the family will soon have reason to celebrate. At the senator's fundraiser last night for her upcoming campaign, her Chief of Staff Robert Connor confirmed that Caldwell's daughter, Alexandria police lieutenant Jessica Doggett, informed her mother of her impending remarriage to former husband John Doggett, an agent for the FBI. While no date or location have been set, sources close to the senator say that the ceremony will likely take place sometime early next year."

Doggett sighed. "I hope Jess hasn't seen that," he muttered. "She'll pitch a fit that her mother made it public knowledge."

"Is it true?" Reyes asked.

He met her gaze. "Yes," he confirmed simply.

She nodded. "Well, as I said, congratulations."

"I never meant for you to find out this way, Monica. I didn't say anything at first because I wasn't sure there was anything to say. And once there was, with everything else that's going on I haven't had a chance to tell you myself."

Reyes waved off his concern. "You don't owe me an explanation, John," she demurred. "You've made it clear from the day we met where – or rather with whom – your heart lies. If I held onto the hope that someday that would change, I have no one to blame but myself."

"I'm sorry," Doggett said simply.

"Don't be," Reyes responded, and quickly changed the subject. "I got a copy of Lupen's cell phone bill faxed over from his service provider, and it lists all the calls he's made since mid-November. I put it on your desk."

Doggett walked over and picked the bill up off his desk, then quickly scanned it, and a moment later said, "Bingo."

"You found something?" Reyes prompted.

Doggett gave her a sideways glance. "The night Jess was shot, Lupen made a call to my home number at the same time I got the anonymous call about something happenin' to her," he revealed. "And I damn sure didn't talk to him that night."

"You think he's connected to whoever tried to kill Jessica," Reyes surmised.

"Given that he made a comment at the police station the other day that was almost the exact same one that was in the first anonymous note Jess received, I'm pretty sure he not only knows who tried to kill her, but also who did kill Scott."

Doggett reached over to pick up the phone and quickly dialed Jessica's private line, but her voice mail picked up and he was forced to leave a message. "Jess, it's me. Monica and I are on our way over there with something you need to see. When you get this message, stay put until we get to the station."

Hanging up the phone, he turned to face Reyes. "To avoid any claims of prejudicial treatment or a conflict of interest, I'm gonna need you to actually be the one to interrogate Lupen."

"Of course."

Reyes rose to her feet and exited the office a step behind Doggett.


	13. Chapter 13

**ALEXANDRIA**

After her physical therapy session at the local gym, Jessica had taken a brief shower and changed into her work clothes before making her way to the station. Entering her office, she dialed the code to check her voice mail and heard Doggett's message just as he and Reyes arrived.

"I just got your message," Jessica said. "What's going on?"

Doggett handed her the copy of Lupen's cell phone bill. "Monica got a copy of Lupen's cellular phone bill, and he placed a call to my home number the same night you were assaulted."

"Then he was the one who called you that night to tell you I was in danger," Jessica replied.

"It looks that way," Reyes allowed.

As if to speak of the devil, Lupen chose that moment to arrive at the station, and caught sight of the agents in Jessica's office at the same time she spotted him. Fury etched in her beautiful face, the lieutenant immediately hobbled out of her office and across the squad room to confront him.

"How much did they pay you, Miguel?" she demanded. "I'm curious as to what the going rate for an accessory to murder runs these days."

Lupen gave her a confused look as Reyes and Doggett made their way over to stand behind Jessica. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

Before anyone could react, Jessica lifted her right arm and slapped Lupen across the face, knocking him backward a couple of steps. "Save it for the judge you son of a bitch!" she snapped, and took a step toward him, obviously intent on striking him again. Doggett immediately stepped in front of her and placed his hands on her arms, using his body weight to hold her in place.

"That's it," he said. "You and I are goin' in your office until you cool down. Monica, read Detective Lupen his rights and take him into one of the interrogation rooms for questioning."

"Questioning for what?" Lupen demanded.

"Your role in the death of Scott Caldwell," Doggett told him.

As Monica began to mirandize Lupen, Doggett half-pulled, half-dragged Jessica into her office and closed the door. Once they were inside, she angrily jerked her arms out of his hold. "You can let go of me now," she snapped.

"What's the matter with you?" Doggett demanded. "What were you thinkin', slappin' Lupen like that?"

"I should have broken his damn nose," Jessica retorted, and settled into her chair before leaning over to rub the knee above her injured leg.

"I'm as angry about Scott's death as you are, Jess, but runnin' around assaultin' the suspects isn't going to help our case," Doggett countered.

"Maybe not," she allowed, "but he had it coming, and not just for his part in what happened to Scott."

"I won't argue that, but the fact remains you need to get control of your temper," came Doggett's reply. "At the rate you've been goin' lately, I'm surprised you didn't deck your mother last night."

Their conversation was interrupted by Grace Phillips, who entered Jessica's office without bothering to obtain permission. "Lieutenant," she greeted. "Agent Doggett. Which one of you wants to explain why Jessica slapped Detective Lupen?"

Jessica stubbornly remained mute, so Doggett shot her an exasperated look before responding to Phillips. "We have reason to believe Detective Lupen was an accessory to the murder of Scott Caldwell," he explained.

Phillips eyes widened in surprise. "Do you have any proof of that?" she asked.

"We've got a copy of his cell phone bill provin' that he called my house the night Jess was shot, and his call was made at the same time I got the anonymous call threatenin' her," Doggett told her. "And yesterday Jess overheard him make a comment to his partner that was the same one sentence message written on the note she got with the article about the kidnapping."

The captain frowned. Just as the agents had felt it necessary to inform Skinner of their discovery that Jessica was Christina Mulder, Jessica had confided in her superior about the revelation and its possible connection to Scott's death.

"Overlooking the fact that all of the evidence you mentioned is circumstantial, you still don't have a motive," Phillips pointed out. "He's too young to have been involved in your abduction, so on the surface there doesn't appear to be any reason for him to want to see Scott killed for uncovering the truth."

"Maybe it's as simple as 'money is the root of all evil'," Jessica suggested. "He could have been paid to send the notes and make the phone call."

"That's a reach," Phillips replied, "but at the moment we don't have much else to go on. I'm going to head over to the interrogation room and see how Agent Reyes is doing with Miguel. Jessica, if you promise to behave, you can watch with me from the observation room."

"I'll be as well-mannered as a mouse in church on Sunday," Jessica responded.

Phillips exchanged a knowing look with Doggett before the trio left the office and crossed through the squad room. The other officers present cast curious looks at Jessica as the group passed by, most of them having witnessed her strike Lupen and wondering what prompted it. As they reached the interrogation room, Reyes stepped out and seeing them approach, walked over to join them.

"He says he had nothing to do with Scott Caldwell's death," she said. "However, he is willing to name names provided he's granted immunity from prosecution and placed in a witness protection program."

"What makes him think he's in a position to make any demands?" Doggett asked.

"I asked him the same thing, and he responded by saying he's the only one who can tell Jessica what she wants to know," Reyes answered.

"Do you believe him?" Doggett pressed.

"What I believe doesn't matter," Reyes responded, and glanced at Jessica. "It's your call, Lieutenant. If you're willing to give him what he wants, he'll tell you who's responsible for Scott's death."

Jessica glanced at Doggett. "Do you think he can really tell us who killed Scott?"

"The evidence seems to indicate that he can," Doggett allowed.

The lieutenant sighed. "Well, at this point I don't have anything to lose,' she said, and shifted her gaze to Reyes. "Let's go have a chat with him."

Reyes and Jessica reentered the interrogation room, shadowed by Phillips and Doggett, and walked over to stand next to the table where Lupen was seated. Propping her crutches against the table, Jessica settled herself into a chair before addressing Lupen.

"Detective," she greeted formally.

"Lieutenant," Lupen returned. "You pack a nasty slap, Gorgeous; nice to know there's some fire under the ice after all."

"Watch your mouth, Lupen," Doggett warned.

"Or what, Agent Doggett?"

"You don't wanna find out."

"Save the male posturing for another time, gentlemen," Phillips interjected.

"So what is it you have to say that you think I want to hear?" Jessica asked irritably.

"I trust Agent Reyes has informed you of my request?"

"She has," Jessica confirmed.

"Are you certain you don't want to wait for your attorney before making any statements?" Phillips pressed.

"I'm touched by your concern, Captain," Lupen responded sarcastically. "Let's just get this over with."

"Fine," Doggett said. "Why don't you start by tellin' us who hired you to write the notes to Jess and call me the night she was shot?"

"Alan Grant," Lupen revealed. "Apparently Scott Caldwell had accidentally uncovered evidence that Grant had been illegally obtaining babies and adopting them out to high end clientele for outrageous prices. When Scott discovered that his own sister was one of the stolen babies, he came to me and asked me to start a formal investigation into Grant's activities. He's the one that provided me with the newspaper article about Christina Mulder's abduction thirty-eight years ago."

"Why did Scott come to you?" Jessica asked. "Why not go to Captain Phillips or directly to me?"

"I didn't ask. But when I finally got enough evidence to confront Grant, he propositioned me. He said that if I kept my mouth shut and kept you and Scott out of his way, he'd pay me five million dollars."

"Not a whole lot of money considering what he was probably making as a baby broker," Reyes remarked.

"It was more money than I'd ever see working as a cop," Lupen countered. "He introduced me to his partner, and I began dealing directly with him."

"Does this partner have a name?" Doggett prompted.

"None that I know of. Grant never referred to him by name; just called him 'my partner' or 'my associate'."

"What does this 'partner' look like?" Reyes asked.

"I've never actually seen him," Lupen admitted. "Whenever we meet, it's always in a dark room and he stays in the shadows. But I can tell you that he uses a wheelchair and is a heavy smoker."

"Spender," Doggett muttered.

"Aside from the notes and the phone call, what else did they have you do?" Reyes asked.

"They had me hire someone to kill the lieutenant's dog and torch her house," Lupen answered. "They didn't want her to discover the truth too soon and they thought burning her house down would scare her into backing off."

"Was he supposed to shoot me?" Jessica interjected.

"No; I assume he just panicked because you walked in on him."

"Where can we find the shooter?" Doggett asked.

"The morgue most likely," Lupen responded. "Grant had him killed after he burned down the house."

"How much of this is my mother involved with?" Jessica queried.

"As far as I know her only involvement is your original abduction," Lupen told her. "Killing your brother was Grant's idea. He felt it was the only way to keep him quiet."

"I find it very convenient that Grant and his partner seem to be the heavies in this, while you're little more than a glorified messenger," Reyes remarked.

"If the shoe fits…" Lupen allowed.

Jessica glanced at Phillips. "Captain, could I speak with you outside for a moment?" she requested.

"Of course."

The lieutenant stood up and grabbed her crutches, then the two women excused themselves and left the interrogation room, leaving Reyes and Doggett alone with Lupen.

"What's your story, brown eyes?" Lupen directed at Reyes.

"Excuse me?" Reyes said.

"You're a good-looking woman," Lupen replied, and inclined his head toward Doggett. "You can do better than settling for second choice."

"Shut up, Lupen," Doggett snapped.

The detective ignored him. "You and I are on the same team, Agent Reyes," he continued. "If I can get my hands on the Ice Princess, that means you can have her lap dog here for yourself."

Doggett walked over to stand next to Lupen's chair, his expression one of controlled anger. "Unless you want to spend the next six months on a liquid diet, I suggest you keep your mouth shut," he warned evenly.

"You're just as cold as that blonde bitch who still uses your name," came the reply. "The two of you must get frostbite in bed."

The comment snapped Doggett's hold on his temper and he reacted without thinking, lifting his arm to punch Lupen dead center in his face. The blow broke his nose, knocking him backward out of his chair, and Doggett reached over to grab Lupen by the front of his coat. Hauling him to his feet, he ignored the blood trickling from the other man's nose as he shoved him against the wall. Releasing his hold on Lupen's coat, he grabbed a handful of hair with one fist and lodged his other arm against the detective's throat. "Give me a reason, Lupen," he snarled in a whispered hiss. "One little shift of my arm and your neck will snap like a dry twig. Just say one more word against my wife and I'll send you on a one-way trip to hell!"

Something in Doggett's eyes warned Lupen he was deadly serious, and the detective wisely remained silent. On the other side of the table, a worried Reyes attempted to calm her partner down.

"Let go of him, John," she said. "Assaulting him isn't going to help Jessica."

Doggett shot her a sideways glance, and realizing she was right, reluctantly released his hold on Lupen and stepped away from him just as Jessica and Captain Phillips re-entered the room accompanied by a pair of uniformed officers. Both women glanced at the overturned chair and Lupen's bloody nose, and the tension radiating from the men was almost tangible.

"Did we miss something?" Phillips asked pointedly.

The trio remained conspicuously mute, and after a lengthy silence, it was Lupen who spoke first.

"It was an accident, Captain," he lied. "I leaned backward too far in my chair and when I fell over, I landed face first and managed to break my nose. Agent Doggett was kind enough to help me back on my feet."

"How thoughtful of him," Jessica remarked dryly.

Phillips shot Doggett a look that clearly said she wasn't buying Lupen's tale, but nonetheless she let it go and motioned the uniformed officers forward. "Miguel Lupen, you are under arrest for being an accessory to murder after the fact, for being an accessory to attempted murder, withholding evidence in a federal homicide investigation, solicitation of arson and extortion."

Lupen shot her a disbelieving look as the officers took up position on either side of him and pulled his arms behind his back to handcuff him. "This is a joke, right?"

"Not hardly."

He glanced at Jessica. "We had a deal," he declared. "I was to be given immunity from prosecution and granted protection in exchange for my testimony."

"Those were your terms, not mine," Jessica responded.

"You said you agreed to them!" Lupen snapped.

"I said that Agent Reyes had informed me of what they were," Jessica countered. "Technically speaking, I never agreed to anything."

Rage filled his face. "You deceitful bitch!" he exclaimed. "You set me up!"

"You set yourself up, Miguel," Phillips interjected evenly. "You waived your right to have your attorney present in front of witnesses, all of whom are law enforcement personnel, and voluntarily provided your confession."

Lupen took a step toward Jessica, his intent obvious, but Doggett immediately placed himself in front of her as the uniformed officers restrained the other man.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Lupen stated angrily.

"I know the feelin'," Doggett retorted, and glanced at the closest officer. "Get him out of here."

Lupen kept his hate filled gaze on Jessica as he was removed from the interrogation room. Once he was gone, Phillips turned to face her subordinate.

"You realize that with Miguel's arrest, it's only a matter of time before the real details behind Scott's death are leaked to the media," she said quietly.

Jessica nodded. "I know."

"We need to bring your mother and Alan Grant in for questioning," Phillips told her.

"The Bureau will take care of that," Doggett replied.

Phillips nodded. "Jessica, I'm going to have to withdraw you from the case," she said. "Now that your mother is officially a person of interest, I can't allow you to remain involved in a professional capacity."

"Of course."

"If you have no objections, I'll turn it over to Ken Saurus. He's an excellent detective and I know we can trust him to be discreet."

"Saurus is fine."

Philips glanced at the agents. "I'll have Detective Saurus contact your office once he's had a chance to review the case file."

"That will be fine," Reyes said.

"Jessica, I'm sorry it had to come to this."

"So am I."

Phillips flashed her a sympathetic smile, then bid farewell to Reyes and Doggett and left the room.

"Are you ok?" Doggett asked of Jessica.

"As okay as I can be under the circumstances," she responded. "And for the record, that story Miguel gave us about falling out of his chair was the biggest fairy tale I've heard in a long time. For someone who chides me about my temper, you seem to have a bit of trouble controlling your own."

Doggett smiled. "To quote a beautiful blonde I know, 'He had it comin', and not just for his part in what happened to Scott'."

She smiled back. "Touché'."

"We'd better head back to the office and tell A.D. Skinner what's going on," Reyes said.

"You two go ahead," Jessica replied. "I'm going to pay a visit to my mother."

"By yourself?" Doggett prompted.

"No; I'm going to call Fox and have him meet me at her office so we can confront her together. He has a right to know the truth as much as I do."

"Of course," Doggett agreed. "I'll meet you there once I've talked with Skinner."

"What about Grant?"

"Monica and Dana can bring him in."

"Fine. I'll see you in a bit."

The couple exchanged a quick kiss and Jessica bid farewell to Reyes before they all headed off for their respective destinations.

 **SENATE BUILDING, WASHINGTON D.C.**

Having called Mulder on his cell phone to update him, Jessica found him on the steps of the Senate Building waiting for her when she finally arrived. Seeing her approach, he greeted her with a faint smile.

"Good afternoon, Little Sister," he said. "Are you ready to do this?"

"Not really, but let's do it anyway."

He placed his hand on her arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze before they made their way inside. Many of the people present recognized both Jessica and Mulder and offered them friendly greetings as they passed through the hallways. It took them only a couple of minutes to reach Elizabeth's office on the second floor, and when they did they discovered Elizabeth was finishing a meeting with her staff.

"She shouldn't be more than another five or ten minutes, Lieutenant," Elizabeth's secretary Sydney told her. "Can you wait, or shall I interrupt her?"

"We'll wait," Jessica answered. "Would you please call Michael Kelly and ask him to come over as soon as possible?"

"Actually, he's in the meeting with her," Sydney revealed. "I believe they're planning the PR strategy for her next campaign."

"In that case maybe we should interrupt after all and spare them the effort," Mulder muttered dryly.

The lieutenant shot him a warning look as they settled themselves into a pair of chairs in the reception area. Ten minutes later the meeting adjourned and various members of the senator's staff filtered out of the room, flashing Jessica smiles of greeting as they did so. Michael Kelly and Elizabeth remained in her office, fine tuning some details of the meeting, and after telling Sydney to show Doggett and Skinner in when they arrived, Jessica hobbled into the office shadowed by Mulder.

"Jessica, darling," Elizabeth greeted. "What a nice surprise."

"I'm here in an official capacity, Senator," Jessica responded, her use of her mother's title in lieu of 'Mom' or 'Mother' not lost on Elizabeth. "Michael, this is Special Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI. Fox, my mother's attorney, Michael Kelly."

The two men exchanged greetings and a handshake before Jessica addressed Elizabeth. "I want to know why you never told me that I'm adopted and what your involvement was in my abduction thirty-nine years ago," she said bluntly.

"Abduction?" Kelly echoed. "What are you talking about, Jessica?"

Mulder answered for her. "Almost thirty-nine years ago my infant sister Christina was kidnapped from our family's home in Martha's Vineyard and disappeared," he answered. "She was never found, and no one was ever charged with the crime. Based upon our preliminary evidence, we have reason to believe she was part of an illegal adoption ring being run by Alan Grant, wherein he would steal babies from their biological parents and sell them to the highest bidder, after which he would forge the adoption papers. Scott Caldwell apparently stumbled onto evidence of the ring himself and discovered that his sister Jessica was in actuality my sister Christina. He took his discovery to Detective Miguel Lupen at Alexandria P.D, who in turn became an accessory to Grant's activities after Grant offered him a financial settlement in exchange for Lupen's assistance in keeping Scott from telling his sister or going public with what he knew."

"Are you saying Lupen and Grant had Scott killed because he found out about your adoption?" Elizabeth asked incredulously.

"Yes," Jessica confirmed. "That's also why they tried to kill me."

The senator's face lost some of its color. "I had no idea they would take it so far after all this time," she muttered.

"Did you think they would just sit back and do nothing if the information ever became public knowledge?" Jessica prompted.

"Frankly I had no idea what they would do, but murder wasn't even on the list of possibilities. No one was supposed to get hurt."

"Tell that to my parents," Mulder retorted. "Tell that to Jessica and your son."

"Assuming for the moment that you can prove any of this," Kelly interjected, "where does Elizabeth fit into all of this?"

"That's what we're here to find out," a familiar voice responded from behind them.

The foursome turned expectantly as Doggett and Skinner entered Elizabeth's office. Introductions were quickly made before they returned to the business at hand, and Skinner addressed Elizabeth.

"Detective Lupen has already been arrested after confessing to his part in Scott's death, as well as the attempt on Lieutenant Doggett's life," he revealed. "Two of my agents are en route to Alan Grant's office to bring him in for questioning, and depending upon what he tells us, you could be facing felony charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping and accessory to kidnapping."

"What do you want from me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder have both declined to press charges for the kidnapping," Skinner told her. "However, we still need to get your official statement about the kidnapping and the adoption."

"How much of this will have to be made public knowledge?"

"Don't you dare say that you're worried about your image, Senator," Jessica snapped.

Elizabeth gave her a frustrated look. "That isn't why I'm asking, Jessica," she chided. "I was merely going to suggest that it would be better for Sarah and the children if we can handle this as discreetly as possible."

"It would have been better for everyone if you hadn't stolen my sister in the first place," Mulder retorted.

Elizabeth had no response for that, and after an awkward silence Skinner spoke again. "Senator," he said. "I think it would be best if we relocated to the Hoover Building. I know my superior Deputy Director Kersh will want to be brought in on this."

"Of course," the senator demurred, and rose to her feet.

"Before you go I want an answer to a question," Jessica replied. "Why didn't you ever tell me I was adopted?"

"Edward and I loved you as much as we would have loved our biological child, and we didn't want the knowledge that you were adopted to make you or anyone else think otherwise," Elizabeth told her. "We feared that you might harbor resentment toward Scott because he was our biological child, or that people might treat you differently if they knew that you weren't."

"That's hardly justification for a lifetime of lies."

"In retrospect perhaps not, but at the time we honestly felt we were doing the right thing. And for the record, Jessica, I didn't know that you were an abducted child. Edward and Alan handled everything themselves and told me that your mother had died in childbirth."

The lieutenant gave a derisive snort. "How convenient. I'm sure that comforts Scott greatly knowing your ignorance as well as your deceit cost him his life."

Her daughter's continued hostility bristled Elizabeth's fragile nerves. "I understand your anger, Jessica, but having lost a son yourself I would think you might be a bit more sympathetic."

That comment was enough to resurrect Doggett's temper. "Don't begin to compare Luke's death to Scott's," he said coolly, "and don't think you're anywhere near the mother that Jess was. She was never anythin' but honest with our son and didn't harbor secrets that led to his death."

Again Elizabeth offered no response.

"If you're ready, Senator, we should get going," Skinner said.

Elizabeth nodded and after retrieving her purse and her coat, accompanied Skinner from the room, shadowed by Michael Kelly.

"Do you want to come back to headquarters with us and sit in on your mother's statement or Grant's?" Doggett asked.

"I'd like to hear what Grant has to say," Jessica answered. "Although Spender seems to be the one with all of the answers."

"Well now that we know he's alive, I'm certain it's only a matter of time before he contacts me," Mulder replied. "He won't resist the chance to throw what he's done back in my face."

"Something to look forward to, I'm sure," Jessica responded dryly. "Let's go."


	14. Chapter 14

**FBI HEADQUARTERS**

Thirty minutes later, everyone was gathered in the conference room at the Hoover Building, where

Kersh was finishing his review of the Triad file. He was seated at the head of the table, with Skinner on his right and Michael Kelly on his left. Clockwise from Kelly the rest of the chairs were occupied by Elizabeth Caldwell, Reyes, Alan Grant, his attorney Brett Foster, Scully, and Jessica. Mulder was propped against the wall with an air of bored indifference, while Doggett stood a couple of feet behind Jessica, his arms crossed across his chest, his expression unreadable. Two other armed agents stood by the door, standing sentinel over the room per orders from Kersh.

Releasing a sigh, Kersh completed his perusal of the file and closed the folder, folding his hands together and resting them on top of the folder. "Well I must say this case is a virtual cornucopia of federal charges," he remarked. "Murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnapping, extortion, forgery, arson, conspiracy to commit arson, withholding evidence in a federal homicide investigation. I suppose the first question I have, both for Senator Caldwell and Mister Grant, is are the charges accurate?"

"Yes," Elizabeth admitted simply.

Grant glanced at Foster, who gave a curt nod, and he said, "Yes, sir."

"Very well. Let's just take them in categories, and as the victim herself is present let's start with the kidnapping charges. Lieutenant Doggett, as a police officer I am certain that you are aware there is no statute of limitations for kidnapping, being that it is a felony."

"Yes, sir, I am aware of that," Jessica confirmed.

"Do you wish to pursue criminal charges against your mother and Mister Grant for your abduction thirty-eight years ago?" Kersh asked.

"No, sir. If the Bureau is able to ensure that Mister Grant is convicted of his role in my brother's murder and the destruction of my home, then I have no desire to instigate the kidnapping charges against him. As for Senator Caldwell, she claims to have had no knowledge that I was an abducted child, and with no direct proof to the contrary, I'll drop the charges against her as well."

"Fine," Kersh said. "Senator, you're free to leave, but I'm certain that I don't need to tell you that what was discussed here today is not to be discussed with anyone other than your attorney."

"I understand."

Kelly nodded at Elizabeth and they both rose to their feet. The senator glanced at Jessica, obviously intent on saying something, but stifled the impulse at the expression on her face and silently followed Kelly out of the room.

Kersh glanced at Foster. "The remainder of the charges are directed solely at your client, Mister Foster. Is Mister Grant prepared to cooperate with our investigation?"

"He is," Foster assured him.

"Very well. For the record, Mister Grant, why don't you tell us how you arranged for Christina Mulder to be given to the Caldwells, and why you were willing to kill to keep the secret so many years later."

Grant again glanced at his attorney and waited for his nod before speaking. "The decision to abduct Christina Mulder came from my partner, a man named Carl Spender who at the time was an agent with the FBI's Boston division. Apparently he had been working with Bill Mulder on some secret project for the government, and when Mulder tried to back out of their deal, Spender had Christina kidnapped."

"Why me?" Jessica interjected. "Why not Fox or Samantha?"

"Spender said he intended to 'take care of Samantha' at a later date," Grant revealed, "but said he had other plans for the boy and that he was not to be harmed. It was at that same time that my business partner Edward Caldwell approached me about helping him and his wife adopt a baby. They already had a seven-year-old son, but after Scott was born Elizabeth wasn't able to conceive again, so they decided on adoption. And Elizabeth had made it clear she wanted a baby girl."

"Why not go through a conventional adoption agency?" Mulder asked. "They were well known and respected public figures and certainly had enough money to provide for another child."

"Edward was adamant that no one know the child was adopted. I couldn't understand why, but he was convinced that it would somehow be a problem if either the child or the general public knew she wasn't the Caldwells biological child. So, he came to me. He knew of my connection to Spender and had heard rumors of Spender's 'project' and was willing to pay to get one of the 'special' babies that Spender had been working on."

"That's the second time you've mentioned some type of secret project that my father and Agent Spender were allegedly conspiring on," Mulder replied, and walked over to stand beside Doggett. "What exactly was this project?"

"Spender never confirmed nor denied its existence, but according to the rumors he and your father were experimenting with injecting specialized DNA into a Human fetus during certain developmental stages to produce 'super babies'. Babies with enhanced intelligence, emotional aptitude, physical appearance and abilities. It was their contention that these experiments would eventually lead to the elimination of birth defects and diseases such as Down's Syndrome, epilepsy, malformed or missing appendages."

"Genetic manipulation of unborn fetuses is illegal," Scully pointed out.

"Which is yet another reason why Edward was determined to keep the knowledge of Jessica's adoption a secret," Grant allowed. "Christina Mulder was one of the first babies to have survived the experiments and be born alive and well. Spender was determined to put her where he could keep an eye on her and watch her development, but given his growing difficulties with Bill Mulder he knew that he could only do that by taking her away from her family."

"Well if he really wanted to simplify things maybe he should have just tossed Christina into a giant glass jar and stuck her on a shelf with the rest of his specimens," Mulder said drolly.

"I think we can do without your commentary, Agent Mulder," Kersh admonished.

Mulder fell silent, and Jessica chose that moment to rejoin the conversation. "I don't suppose you have any proof of the genetic manipulation they allegedly did to me?" she prompted.

"Aside from the extraordinary reflection you see whenever you look into a mirror?" Grant replied. "Tell me, Lieutenant. Have you ever had the flu, or a cold? Do you have any allergies? Have you ever had a backache, or an earache? Have you ever so much as sneezed?"

The expression on her face answered the question more effectively than any spoken response could have, and Doggett decided to deflect the attention away from her

"With everything else you've revealed here, Mister Grant, you have yet to explain why you decided it was necessary to kill Scott Caldwell rather than let the truth come out," he replied.

"It's rather simple, Agent Doggett," Grant responded. "Self-preservation. I have my own family and reputation to protect, and I wasn't willing to let Scott jeopardize that by uncovering my secrets."

"Obviously Spender thinks differently," Doggett returned.

"The man's dying of cancer, and his only son has been dead for several years. He has nothing left to lose. And allowing the truth to be revealed on his terms was his way of exerting his last tendrils of control over the situation."

"Sounds like his style," Mulder muttered.

"Well now that you've told us what we needed to know, it's time for me to exert my control over this situation," Kersh declared, and motioned for the agents at the door to step forward. "Alan Grant, you are under arrest for the various crimes previously described to you and confessed to by you. I am remanding you to the custody of the FBI and you will remain in federal custody until formal charges have been filed and your ultimate place of incarceration is determined by the courts."

Grant stood up and the agents each took hold of one of his arms, then Foster rose to his feet to follow him as they started for the door. Once there, however, Grant stopped and turned to look back at Jessica. "For what it's worth, Jessica, I truly never intended for it to get this far," he said.

"That and three bucks will buy her a cup of coffee," Mulder retorted.

"That's enough, Mulder," Skinner said firmly.

For her part, the lieutenant offered no verbal response to Grant's mollified apology, and the agents escorted him out the door with Foster close behind. Once they were gone, Kersh shifted his attention to Jessica. "Lieutenant, would you please excuse us for a moment?" he requested. "I need a moment with my staff."

"Of course."

"Agent Reyes, since your involvement with this case has been minimal, you're excused as well," Kersh told her.

The women rose to their feet and exited the room, and once the door had closed behind them, Kersh addressed his agents. "Well, I must say that I'm at a loss for words on this one," he began. "You've been actively pursuing an investigation – without authorization – that involved criminal charges against an acting United States Senator and only brought me into the loop at the 11th hour. Not to mention the ramifications to the Bureau if Spender is indeed responsible for plotting the abduction and this mystery project he and Agent Mulder's father were supposed to have been working on. How many times am I supposed to let you off with a slap on the wrist when you break the rules or bend them to suit your needs?"

The question was rhetorical, and the group remained silent, prompting a heavy sigh from Kersh. "I'm tempted to fire all of you simply on principle," he said, "but without my rank to keep you in line I might turn you all into more of a liability than you already are. I expect that this will be the last time I am kept in the dark about any investigation that concerns both the Bureau's reputation and high-profile public figures."

There were murmurs of agreement from the others, and Kersh wordlessly rose to his feet and left the room. Once he was gone, Mulder released a deep breath. "Well that was fun," he said dryly.

"If I were you Mulder, I'd make damn sure I stayed out of Kersh's way for as long as possible," Skinner suggested. "He's looking for a reason to fire you and another of your ill-timed comments may give him one."

"I appreciate the warning, sir," Mulder responded.

"Agent Scully, I'll leave it to you to keep your partner out of trouble," Skinner said. "As for you, Agent Doggett, I must say that for a man who prides himself on keeping his private life private, you certainly managed to entangle yourself in a public mess."

"All's fair in love and war, Assistant Director," Doggett replied.

"Well you seem to be knee deep in a bit of both," Skinner returned wryly.

In the waiting area adjacent to the conference room, Reyes and Jessica watched as Kersh materialized from the room and strode by them without saying a word.

"That can't be good," Jessica remarked.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Reyes said. "Kersh has never been a fan of the X files, but his bark is usually worse than his bite. "

"So how long have you been on the X files?" Jessica asked. "Were you a member of the division during the investigation into Luke's kidnapping?"

"No. I transferred from New Orleans last year when John brought me in on the search for Mulder, and I decided to stay on once he had been found."

"I never got the chance to thank you for helping John find Luke. I know how much your assistance meant to him."

"I only wish we could have found him before…"

Her voice trailed off, and the lieutenant gave her a small smile. "Before he was killed," the other woman finished, and settled into a chair to get off her injured leg. "So do I."

Uncomfortable at having touched upon a painful subject, Reyes quickly switched topics. "I understand from John that the two of you are getting remarried," she said. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I have to admit, however, that I was a bit surprised at the suddenness of it," Reyes continued casually. "The two of you have been apart for close to five years and yet you've reconciled in barely two weeks."

 _Here it comes_ , Jessica thought idly, and shot her a sideways glance. "You don't approve?"

"It's not my place to approve or disapprove," Reyes evaded.

"But you obviously have an opinion about it," Jessica pressed.

Reyes met her gaze. "I just don't want to see John get hurt again," she replied evenly. "He's had enough pain in his life."

"Most of which has been shared with me," Jessica responded. "You're making assumptions based on what little pieces of our history you've been privy to and the fact that we've apparently gone 180 degrees in our relationship in just fourteen days. In your position, I'd probably be skeptical, too. But you're conveniently overlooking the fact that our two weeks has been preceded by almost thirty years."

"Have you stopped to consider that those thirty years are the reason he thinks he's still in love with you?"

"Have you stopped to consider that those thirty years are the reason he never fell out of love with me in the first place?"

Reyes' expression made it clear that she had not.

"I understand why you care about John the way you do," Jessica allowed. "He's an easy man to love. But the things that draw you to him are impersonal. There is so much you don't know about him."

"I know the important things," Reyes countered. "I know about his integrity, his loyalty and his honesty."

"Do you know his middle name?" Jessica asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You said you know the important things. What's his middle name?"

"It's Jay."

The lieutenant permitted herself a small smile. "Most people think so, because his middle initial is 'J' and because he isn't fond of his middle name, he lets them assume that. But his middle name is Jeremiah, after his father. All of the Doggett men are named for the books of the Bible and given their father's first name as their middle name."

"So that's why your son was Luke John Doggett," Reyes deduced. "I never made the connection."

"Do you know why John joined the Marines, or became a cop?" Jessica queried. "Do you know his favorite color or flavor of ice cream?"

"No, but I suppose you're going to tell me," came the irritated reply.

"He joined the Marines because his father told him that every man must serve God or his country in order to call himself a man; he became a cop because he wanted children to be able to walk down the streets without fear. He can kill a man with his bare hands, but those same hands cradled our only son with a reverence that brought tears to my eyes when he placed him on my stomach the day he was born. He hates snow, but drove two miles in a blizzard to get the ingredients to make his pregnant wife a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He barely tolerates dogs that weigh less than his shoes, yet after my second miscarriage he gave me a puppy that would eventually grow up and outweigh me, simply because he knew it would ease my pain. His favorite color is blue; his favorite drink is black coffee; and his favorite ice cream is Rocky Road. And underneath his tough as nails exterior lays the softest heart I have ever been privileged to know."

Finishing her impromptu speech, the lieutenant fell silent, awaiting Reyes' response.

"You're made your point," the dark-haired woman conceded. "But you can't expect me to have learned almost thirty years worth of knowledge in just under two."

"Not any more than you can expect John to forget it and fall in love with you," Jessica returned. "John has had five years to move on, Monica, whether that meant with you or someone else. He made the choice to remain alone, just as he made the choice to accept my request to reconcile. I'm not trying to put you down or build myself up; I'm simply stating the facts. And the fact is that by some miracle of God he still loves me. I don't intend to squander that away a second time."

Reyes paused. "I hope you don't," she said tightly, "because if you do you'll answer to me."

Their conversation was aborted by the arrival of Mulder, Scully and Doggett, and Reyes greeted her partners with a forced smile. "So did Kersh chew all of you up and spit you out again?" she asked lightly.

"More or less," Scully allowed.

"How are you doin'?" Doggett asked of Jessica.

"Better, now that everything is out in the open. I just wish there was a way to dig up Spender and get some final answers from him."

"He'll turn up eventually," Mulder assured her. "Like I said earlier, he won't miss the chance to gloat."

"Well, I've still got some paperwork to catch up on that was left over from before my vacation," Reyes said. "I'll see you all later."

Excusing herself, Reyes beat a hasty retreat, feeling her partners' curious gazes on her back as she left. Once she was gone, Doggett glanced at his former and future wife. "You two looked like you were havin' quite the conversation when we came out," he remarked. "What were you discussin'?"

"Ice cream," Jessica said simply, and rose to her feet.

"Ice cream?" Doggett echoed skeptically.

"That's what I said."

"Actually ice cream sounds pretty good about now," Mulder replied. "And I happen to know that the diner around the corner serves the best hot fudge sundaes in D.C."

"A nice bowl of plain old-fashioned chocolate chip will suit me just fine," Jessica responded.

"Chocolate chip works for me," Scully agreed.

"Now, Ladies, anybody who knows ice cream knows that the only real flavor is Rocky Road," Doggett countered.

"Rocky Road?" Mulder echoed.

"He likes the mini marshmallows," Jessica clarified.

"That was more information than he needed, sweetheart," Doggett protested.

"Are you blushing, Agent Doggett?" Mulder asked innocently.

"Shut up, Mulder."

Shortly thereafter, the quartet was sequestered at a corner table in the diner finishing the last remnants of their ice cream. The sight of four well-dressed adults eating sundaes in the middle of the day had earned them a few curious stares, but they were oblivious to them as they enjoyed a rare opportunity to simply relax. Their waitress was an elderly woman named Betty, who had spent the first ten minutes after their arrival bragging to the foursome about her grandchildren before coercing them into telling her about themselves. Scully had taken the initiative and made the introductions.

"My name is Dana, this is my partner, Mulder. Across from him is my other partner, John, and next to John is his ex-wife, Jessica."

"Actually, it's future wife now," Jessica revealed. "We're getting remarried."

"Good for you, young lady," Betty declared. "In honor of the occasion, whatever you want is on the house."

After thanking Betty for the offer, they had placed their order and engaged in casual conversation until their ice cream had arrived. They had eaten in companionable silence, until Jessica had posed a question to the others.

"Aren't you guys going to get in trouble for spending the afternoon doing nothing?" Jessica asked.

"Kersh is already pissed at us," Mulder pointed out, "and at the moment there is nothing at the office that requires immediate attention. So after everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks, I think we've all earned the chance to indulge in something as mundane as eating ice cream."

"No argument here," Scully replied, "although I'll let you be the one to explain to Will why we had ice cream without him."

"Let Jessica explain it to him," Mulder countered. "It was her idea."

"Oh, that's right; blame the baby sister," Jessica responded with light sarcasm.

"What can I say? I've got thirty-eight years worth of sibling rivalry to catch up on."

Scully and Doggett exchanged an amused look at the banter between their respective significant others as Jessica suddenly grew serious.

"How much truth do you think there was in Grant's story about my DNA having been manipulated before I was born?" she asked quietly.

Mulder hesitated a moment before responding. "Grant would have no reason to make something like that up," he said, "and it's certainly something my father and Spender were capable of."

"But there's nothing special about me," Jessica protested.

"I disagree with that," Doggett interjected.

The lieutenant shot him a faint smile before continuing. "I'm a reasonably intelligent person, but certainly not any kind of genius. And as my gunshot wound and injured knee so painfully pointed out, I'm as capable of being injured or killed as the next person."

"Yet as Grant pointed out you've never even had a simple cold," Mulder reminded her.

"He also mentioned enhanced emotional aptitude and physical appearance," Scully reminded her. "Given your feelings for John were as strong as they were at only eleven and the fact that you're an exceptionally beautiful woman, if you combine that with your near perfect health, the evidence suggests that at least part of what they did worked."

"Maybe," she allowed. "But I can't help but wonder if the cost was the children I never had."

Scully and Mulder exchanged a knowing look as Doggett silently reached over and took her hand in his, then gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You don't know that what they did to you was in any responsible for you losin' those babies," he said softly.

"I also don't know that it wasn't."

"Let it go, Jess. Your mother and Grant and Spender aren't worth wastin' any more of your time."

She forced a smile. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just going to take some time for everything to settle in so I can start healing."

"Speaking of healing," Mulder began, "since you are obviously recovered from your near death experience, and given that you have insanely agreed to remarry the man beside you, are we going to be hearing wedding bells sometime soon?"

"Aside from the fact I want to walk down the aisle and not limp, we haven't really discussed it," Jessica admitted, and glanced at John. "I assume we're in agreement that we want something small and intimate?"

"Oh, yeah," Doggett responded. "I'm too old to deal with another fiasco like the one that masqueraded as our first wedding"

"I take it that you had a large guest list?" Scully prompted.

"We made the mistake of allowing my moth…Elizabeth," Jessica corrected mid-sentence, "help us plan it. She promptly invited everyone she and Edward knew, everyone John's parents knew, his entire regiment from the Corps, and the one hundred guests we had originally listed. By the time it was done we had almost four hundred people at our wedding and we barely knew half of them."

"And seein' all those people packed into such a small space triggered Jess' claustrophobia," Doggett revealed, "so my dad has to rush us through the vows so I could get her outside before she started to hyperventilate."

"Well I can see how that would be an experience you'd rather not repeat," Mulder replied drolly.

"Is your father a minister?" Scully asked.

"He was," Doggett revealed. "He was the minister rat our local church for close to forty years before he died."

"John Doggett is a preacher's son," Mulder said. "Wonders never cease."

"How's that?"

"You're one of the most skeptical people I know, Agent Doggett; I wouldn't think belief in a higher power would be on your agenda."

"Maybe if you directed a third of the energy to believin' in God that you do to your conspiracies about little green men, Agent Mulder, you might find it more beneficial to your peace of mind."

"Okay, this stops right here," Jessica declared, and the men glanced at her questioningly. "If you insist on giving one another tit for tat like teenagers that's your business, but this formality of 'Agent Mulder' and 'Agent Doggett' is suffocating me. You're colleagues; like it or not you're family, and admit it or not, you're friends. From now on, when y'all are off duty you will address one another as John and Fox."

"Mulder," he corrected. "Fox is reserved for my sisters."

"Whatever. And for God's sake, Fox, this woman is the mother of your child. Would it kill you to call her Dana once in a while?"

The others exchanged surprised glances at Jessica's outburst before Doggett deadpanned, "It must have been something in the chocolate chips."

Jessica rolled her eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

After feeding Will and putting him down for the night, Mulder and Scully had shared a quiet candlelight dinner before climbing into the bubble bath. As Scully sipped at her glass of Bordeaux, Mulder idly ran his hand up and down her arm as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"You know, Jessica made a good point this afternoon," Scully said casually.

"That being?" Mulder prompted.

"You and John always being so formal with one another," she answered. "Now that he's about to become your brother-in-law…"

"Don't remind me," Mulder interrupted dryly.

Scully ignored him. "It might behoove you to be a little nicer to him. And to call him John on occasion."

"Just because I'm related to the man doesn't mean I have to like him," came the muttered protest.

The petite redhead shifted in his embrace to face him. "Would it kill you to admit you already do?"

"That will never happen."

She smiled. "Never say never," she cautioned. "I assume, however, that you are willing to admit you like your newly discovered sister?"

"That I can do," Mulder replied. "Her looks take a little getting used to, and her taste in men is definitely questionable, but yeah, I like her. She's got spunk."

One delicate eyebrow arched upward. "Spunk?" Scully echoed, and reached over the edge of the tub to set her glass on the floor. "This from a man who's IQ hovers near 250."

"What, you want the wordy version?"

"Anything would be better than 'spunky'."

"Fine. I like her because she doesn't let her looks or where she comes from –namely big money - define her identity. I like her because she has brains to go with her beauty. I like her because she likes kids and animals, and I like her because when push comes to shove, she can probably kick ass with the best of them."

Mulder finished his 'wordy version' and fell silent, awaiting Scully's response. After a long silence she finally said, "Definitely better than spunky."

"I'm glad you approve."

Resuming her position against his chest, Scully allowed herself a moment to indulge in the simple pleasure of being in Mulder's embrace before speaking again. "At the risk of touching on a sore subject," she began, "in all of the hullabaloo surrounding the discovery that Jessica is Christina, there is one minor detail you've overlooked."

"Which is?"

"Despite whatever Spender and his minions have tried to make you believe in the past, the DNA test the Gunmen did to prove Jessica is Christina also proved that you're Bill Mulder's son," Scully revealed quietly. "The ratio of the genetic match was too high for her to only be your half-sister."

Silence. And then, "I know. Before we left the hospital the night Jessica was shot, I asked one of the nurses to take a blood sample from me and run the DNA test again against the blood they got off her clothing. The results were the same."

"You sound disappointed."

"Not disappointed. Relieved. Not so much about Bill Mulder being my father, but about Jessica really being Christina."

"You still had doubts?"

"There was the chance that Spender had somehow known what the Gunmen were up to and managed to alter the medical records to ensure the DNA test was positive. But the second test was indisputable, because no one other than myself and the nurse knew I had done it."

"So why relief?" Scully pressed.

Mulder sighed. "Because she'd gotten under my skin in a remarkably short time and I wasn't willing to lose someone else I cared about," he confessed quietly. "Especially another sister."

Such a simple confession, with no indication of the weight behind it. In the almost nine years Mulder had been in her life, Scully could count on one hand the number of times he had been completely honest with her about his own emotions, and it made these rare cracks in his armor that much more cherished. Smiling to herself, she once again shifted to face him.

"Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" she asked lightly.

"No, but you can make it up to me by washing my back."

"Or your front."

A pause. "That'll work, too."

Her laugh was smothered by his kiss.

 **FALLS CHURCH**

That evening, Jessica and John had returned home and taken a brief walk around the neighborhood to strengthen her knee before the return of the rain had forced them indoors. They had eaten a light supper before changing into sleepwear and were now sequestered in their living room, snuggled under a blanket and propped against the couch as a fire burned brightly in the fireplace.

"You were certainly in a mood this afternoon," Doggett remarked. "Where did your little speech about me and Mulder bein' family and friends come from?"

"It's true, isn't it?" Jessica countered. "The two of you go at one another like a couple of pre-pubescent kids, but underneath the taunts and the sarcasm I know you genuinely like and respect one another."

"You said it; I didn't."

"Well I like him. A part of me will always miss Scott, but I like having a big brother around, and if it can't be Scott than there's no one else I'd rather have it be than Fox."

"Frankly I don't understand his appeal," Doggett muttered.

"You mean aside from his intelligence, good looks, quirky sense of humor and well-hidden sense of chivalry?" Jessica prompted innocently.

"Point taken," Doggett conceded. "So do you want to tell me what you and Monica were really discussin' this afternoon when we came out of the meeting with Kersh, or are you goin' to stick to your story about ice cream?"

Jessica smiled against his chest. "Well ice cream did enter into the discussion," she allowed, and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. "If you must know, however, we were discussing you."

"A worthy topic," Doggett responded. "What exactly was it about me that you were discussin'?"

"Monica made a comment to me about how surprised she was that you and I had reconciled so quickly, so I decided to call her on it."

"I thought you were goin' to let me talk to her."

"I was, but the opportunity arose for me to do it, and so I took it."

"Fair enough. So what did you say?"

"In a nutshell, I told her that the history we have together combined with the fact we never really stopped loving one another enabled us to start over again faster than other people in our position normally might have."

"What about your conviction that she's in love with me?"

"She didn't deny it and told me that if I hurt you again I'd have her to answer to."

"So that's what we interrupted," Doggett mused. "I'm almost sorry I missed it. It's been awhile since I've had someone fightin' for my honor."

The lieutenant smiled at that before growing serious. "To be perfectly honest, though, in retrospect she may have a point."

Doggett's surprise was obvious. "That's certainly the last thing I'd expect to hear from you," he said.

She sighed. "It's not an easy thing to admit, but sometimes the truth hurts. And the truth is that I did walk out on our marriage once before when the going got tough."

"And you think I should be worried that you might do the same thing again."

"You would have every right to feel that way," Jessica allowed. "I love you, John; I always have. Unfortunately it took Scott's death to be the catalyst to finally seek you out and tell you. But I know how much you cared about Scott, and I know how strong your personal code of honor is. If we're going to make us work a second time, maybe you need a chance to decide if what you're feeling really is love, or just a reflection of all the emotions losing Scott and the memories of our history have resurrected."

Doggett was silent for so long that she began to fear that she had inadvertently hit the proverbial nail on the head, but just a she was about to withdraw from his embrace he spoke again.

"I'd be lyin' if I said that the thought of you leavin' me again hadn't crossed my mind," he said at last. "But if I thought that was gonna happen we wouldn't be here havin' this conversation. As for Scott, yes I miss him, and yes I feel obligated to take care of you. But that's not what this is about. After everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks, I've realized how much I was missin' without you in my life. I love you, Jess, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And for the record, if you do ever leave me again, I'm goin' with you."

She flashed him an adoring smile. "I'll make a note of it."

"See that you do," he responded. "May I kiss you now?"

"Please do."

Late the following morning, Jessica awoke alone, the coolness of the bed beside her indicating Doggett had been gone for some time. Glancing at the clock, she did a quick mental calculation after seeing the time and assumed he had gone for a run before heading into work. As she tossed back the bedcovers, however, she heard the telltale bustling in the bathroom that indicated Doggett was still in the house. Leaving her crutches propped against the nightstand, Jessica limped across the room and came to halt in the bathroom doorway, taking a moment to admire the view. Doggett stood at the sink, his dress slacks on but his chest bare as he finished shaving. His tattoo stood out against the light olive skin of his well-muscled upper arms, and the scar from the injury that had gotten him discharged from the Corps was clearly visible amidst the faint ridges of muscle adorning his stomach.

 _Some scars aren't as easy to see as others, but it doesn't mean they hurt any less._

The thought popped into Jessica's head unbidden, having been a comment from Doggett when she had convinced him to share with her what had happened in Beirut. He had suffered flashbacks and nightmares during the early years of their relationship, yet once they had married it had somehow managed to exorcise Doggett's ghosts, and the nightmares had stopped. She asked him once why he thought their marriage had managed to do what professional counselors and therapy had not, and his response had been simply, "You brought me peace."

She smiled at the memory, thinking how very mutual the sentiment was, and at last wandered over to stand beside him.

"Good morning, Sunshine," she greeted softly.

'Good mornin' yourself. How'd you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you. How long have you been up?"

"I woke up at about 5:30 and went for a run, then stopped off at the bakery to get a Danish and a cup of coffee before I came back here to shower and dress for work."

"Are we still going shopping for a Christmas tree tonight?"

"Yes. I assume you still intend to invite Mulder along?"

"Yes. Scully is giving a lecture tonight at a forensics seminar at Quantico so he's got Will."

The ring of the phone interrupted their conversation and wiping the last remnants of shaving cream from his face, Doggett walked into the bedroom to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi John, its Sarah."

"Mornin', Sarah. How are you?"

"At the moment, I'm torn between anger and confusion," Sarah responded. "Have you and Jessica seen today's edition of the Post?"

"Not yet. Why?"

"The main article on the front page is all about Alan Grant and Miguel Lupen being arrested for Scott's murder, and also states that Elizabeth herself was brought in for questioning by the FBI. And the icing on the cake is the revelation that apparently Scott was killed to cover up the fact that Jessica was kidnapped as an infant and is actually the sister of one your colleagues."

"Son of a bitch," Doggett muttered.

"Is it true?" Sarah demanded.

"Yeah, it's true."

"I think Jessica needs to come to the house and explain to me exactly what's going on," Sarah said. "The kids are going to find out about this and I need to know what to tell them."

"She'll be there in half an hour."

Doggett hung up the phone and turned to face Jessica, who had wandered over to stand beside him after hearing his explicative. "We've got trouble," he declared.

"What's going on?" Jessica asked.

"Accordin' to Sarah today's edition of The Washington Post has a front-page article about Scott's death and your kidnapping," Doggett told her.

"That's just great. How did the press find out?"

"Given your mother's public position it was only a matter of time before it became front page news, sweetheart. Get dressed and head on over to Sarah's. I'll call Mulder and have him meet you there."

 **ALEXANDRIA**

Just under thirty minutes later, Jessica arrived at Sarah's house and found Mulder already there. Climbing out of her car, she crossed the driveway to meet him on the walkway.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Hi, Fox," Jessica returned.

"So our little family secrets are now front page news," Mulder remarked. "I'm sure the good Senator must be ecstatic."

"Elizabeth has an entire staff to deal with her PR problems," Jessica replied. "I'm more concerned about how Scott's children are going to handle the news."

"That's what we're here to find out."

The two made their way to the front door and rang the bell, and a moment later Sarah opened the door. "Hi," she greeted simply. "Thanks for getting here so quickly."

She stepped aside to allow them entry and motioned them inside before she swung the door shut behind them. The trio remained silent until they reached the living room, then Jessica made the introductions.

"Fox, this is my sister-in-law, Doctor Sarah Caldwell. Sarah, my brother, Fox Mulder."

"Nice to meet you Dr. Caldwell," Mulder said.

"Likewise, Agent Mulder. I just wish it were under better circumstances."

Mindful of the lieutenant's healing leg, the three quickly settled themselves on the couch and in chairs before continuing.

"I'm sorry you had to find out about the arrests in the paper, Sarah," Jessica apologized. "I was planning on calling you in the next couple of days so I could tell you myself, but I never dreamed the media would get wind of the news as fast as they did."

"How did all of this happen?" Sarah asked. "Last time we spoke you told me that the police were treating Scott's case as an accident. Now suddenly it's part of some grand conspiracy to keep you from finding out you're adopted?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but in essence, yes. Scott discovered that I had been adopted by the Caldwells as a baby after being kidnapped, and somehow figured out that I was actually Christina Mulder. When he discovered Alan Grant was behind the kidnapping ring, he took what evidence he had to Lupen, who in turn confronted Grant and wound up becoming a part of the conspiracy. He had been working with Grant's partner to keep the news from becoming public knowledge, but unbeknownst to him Grant's partner was leaking clues to me about what they had done."

Sarah glanced at Mulder. "How did you become involved in all of this?"

"The day after Scott's funeral, Jessica received a note intimating that Scott's death may not have been an accident," Mulder explained. "Accompanying the note was a copy of the newspaper article about my sister's Christina's kidnapping thirty-eight years ago, and Jessica decided to bring me in on the case. When we went to Scott's office to look around, I found a folder in the back of one his filing cabinets that was labeled with Jessica's name, and inside I found a copy of the forged adoption certificate. I presented it to John, who indicated that it was his understanding Jessica was not adopted. We originally felt that Jessica and Christina had been victims of a black-market kidnapping ring for baby girls, but some friends I was having research the kidnappings felt there was more to it than that and managed to uncover the fact that Jessica is in actuality my sister Christina."

"Have you been able to prove it?" Sarah pressed.

"Yes. A blood test was done and the DNA match ratio proved that Jessica is my sister."

"This is all so unbelievable," Sarah muttered. "Did your parents know you were actually an abducted baby when they adopted you?"

"My father did," Jessica confirmed. "When I confronted Elizabeth she claimed that Edward told her I was an orphan, and the testimony from Lupen and Grant seems to support that."

"And how much of this did Scott know?"

"As far as we can tell he only found out I was adopted when he uncovered Grant's kidnapping ring," Jessica answered. "I have no way of knowing why he didn't come to me or John when he did, but Grant had him killed to prevent him from telling anyone what he knew."

"Scott never mentioned anything to you about what he had found?" Mulder prompted.

"Not a word. He'd been a little preoccupied for a week or so before his death, but I just assumed it was because he was busy with work."

"More likely he was trying to find a way to deal with what he knew and come up with the best way to tell us," Jessica responded.

Sarah met her sister-in-law's gaze. "For whatever its worth, Jessica, I know Scott would never have kept the truth from you if he had known about it sooner. He adored you and would have done everything in his power to keep you from getting hurt."

"It seems to me that he did exactly that," Mulder interjected softly.

The women both flashed him appreciative smiles before Sarah spoke again. "Well I'm not quite sure what to tell Kim and the boys," she said. "I don't want to lie to them, but I certainly don't want them knowing the full details about what happened to Scott."

"Maybe you can tell them part of the truth," Mulder suggested. "Explain that Scott discovered Grant was stealing babies and had him killed because he didn't want Scott to tell the police. But as far as the specifics of the Caldwells' involvement, it's probably best that they don't discover that aspect of it."

"Maybe, but I'm not sure I want Elizabeth around the children if the company she keeps is responsible for murdering their father."

"That's a choice you have to make yourself," Jessica allowed, "but whatever else she's done Elizabeth has always been a doting grandmother and they need that right now."

"What about you?" Sarah asked. "How are you holding up through all of this?"

"I'm doing okay, all things considered. John's been my rock, of course, and Fox over here is doing a pretty good job of filling those older brother shoes Scott left behind."

Sarah smiled. "I'm glad."

The children chose that moment to make their appearance, and spotting Jessica, they all walked over to give her a hug. Once the greetings were done, Eric glanced at Mulder. "Who are you?"

"My name's Mulder. I'm a friend of your Aunt Jessica's."

"You dress fancy like Uncle John does," Kim observed.

"That's because he works with Uncle John at the FBI," Jessica told her.

"You're an agent too?" Eric asked. "Cool. Do you have a gun?"

Mulder permitted himself a small smile. "Not with me, no."

Cameron gestured at her leg brace. "What happened to your leg, Aunt Jessica?" he asked.

"I broke my ankle fighting with the man who burned my house down," the lieutenant answered honestly.

"I thought he shot you?" Cameron asked.

"He did. I hurt my leg when I fell from my loft after he shot me."

"Did it hurt?" Kim asked innocently.

Jessica smiled. "Yes, sweetie, it hurt a lot."

"Can I try your crutches?" Eric asked.

Jessica exchanged an amused look with Mulder, as Sarah answered, "No you may not. I want you three to finish your breakfast and get your books. I don't want you to be late for school."

The instruction earned her a chorus of groans but the children reluctantly did as they were told and bid farewell to Jessica and Mulder before vanishing into the other room.

"So that's what I have to look forward to with Will in about twelve years," Mulder remarked. "Oh, joy."

"Well I hate to rush you off, but I need to get the kids to school," Sarah said, and stood up. "I appreciate you coming by to explain what happened, Jessica."

"I just wish I had done it before it made headlines," Jessica returned, and she and Mulder stood as well. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me."

"I won't."

The two women exchanged a hug, then Sarah bid farewell to Mulder and went off in search of her children. Once she was out of earshot, Mulder addressed Jessica.

"She seems to be doing quite well under the circumstances," he said. "So do the kids."

"They're a strong family," Jessica replied. "They'll get through this just fine."

"We all will," Mulder amended.

She smiled. "I think I'm going to like having you around."

"Likewise, little sister. Although we really must discuss your taste in men."

Jessica promptly swatted him with a crutch.


	16. Chapter 16

**HOOVER BUILDING**

Seated behind his desk, Mulder was reviewing his notes on a recent case when the ring of the phone interrupted his reading. Closing the file, he reached over to pick up the receiver. "Mulder."

"Good morning, Agent Mulder," a feminine voice replied. "This is Elizabeth Caldwell."

"Senator," Mulder greeted coolly.

Doggett's head shot up at that, realizing Mulder's caller must be his former and future mother-in-law, and he silently mouthed, "Elizabeth?"

Mulder nodded in confirmation as Elizabeth continued.

"I took the liberty of contacting you directly because Jessica isn't returning my calls."

"Gee, I can't imagine why."

"Spare me the sarcasm and patronizing tone, Agent Mulder. I get enough of that from my daughter."

He refrained from snapping back "She isn't your daughter" and simply said, "What do you want, Senator?"

"I assume you've seen the morning edition of The Washington Post?"

"If you're referring to the article that's preceded by the jumbo-sized headline 'Virginia Attorney and Police Detective Arrested in Death of Senator's Son', yes I've seen it."

"I've spoken with my attorney and he feels I need to make some sort of official statement regarding the article," Elizabeth told him. "I'll be holding a press conference at 2:00 this afternoon in front of the Senate Building and I was calling to ask if you and Jessica wanted to collaborate with me and make a joint statement."

"At this point in time, I can safely speak for Jessica and myself when I say that we wouldn't collaborate with you to determine if the Pope is Catholic," came the droll reply. "Have a nice day, Senator."

Without giving Elizabeth a chance to respond, Mulder hung up the phone and met Doggett's inquiring gaze. "This day just gets better by the minute," he said.

"I take it Elizabeth was callin' about the Post article?" Doggett asked.

"Oh, yes. It seems the Senator has decided to make an 'official statement' regarding the article and is holding a press conference at 2:00 at the Senate Building. She was calling to ask if Jessica and I were interested in making it a joint statement."

Doggett shook his head. "For a prominent politician, Elizabeth can certainly be clueless when it comes to protocol," he muttered. "We'd better call Jess and give her a heads up. I'm sure she's gonna want to hear what her mother has to say."

 **SENATE BUILDING**

The steps to the Senate Building were swarming with reporters when Mulder, Scully, Jessica and Doggett arrived a few minutes before two o'clock. Although a few flashes of their respective badges could have given them front and center position in the crowd, the foursome remained in the background, hoping to avoid detection as Elizabeth made her statement. Mulder stood with his hands in his pockets and his attention focused on the small podium where Elizabeth would make her stance. Scully stood at his side with her arms crossed, and next to her Doggett stood beside Jessica, one arm draped around her waist in a silent gesture of support.

Elizabeth emerged from the building at exactly two p.m., dressed in a conservative charcoal suit and shadowed by Michael Kelly. Making her way to the podium, she adjusted the microphone before flashing the crowd a nervous smile.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen," she began, "and thank you for coming. As you were told on the phone, I have asked you all here today in response to the article about my son's death that appeared in The Washington Post. While the investigation is still ongoing, and I am limited as to what I am allowed to discuss, I will attempt to be as forthcoming as possible."

Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded at Kelly who handed her a piece of paper and she placed it on the podium in front of her to read it aloud.

"Recent developments in the investigation of the accident that took the life of my beloved son, Scott Caldwell, have revealed that a decision made long ago by my husband and myself was the catalyst for a tragic series of events. In an effort to preserve their own interests, others involved in that decision made the choice to protect our secret at any cost. Unfortunately, the cost was the death of my son and the near death of my daughter. No words can express the pain and regret I feel knowing that a choice made so long ago in the past had such terrible ramifications to those I care for in the present. I offer my sincerest apologies to my family and the other families involved in this matter."

Elizabeth finished her statement and glanced at the crowd. "I'm sure all of you have questions, and as I said a moment ago I will attempt to answer them to the best of my ability."

Several hands shot into the air and a chorus of questions flew at Elizabeth. Scanning the crowd, she pointed at a reporter near the front. "Yes, Richard?"

"Senator, is the decision you mentioned in your statement the fact that you never told your daughter that she was in fact adopted, and not your biological child?"

"Yes," Elizabeth confirmed. "At the time Edward and I felt it would be better for both of our children if neither they nor the general public knew Jessica was adopted."

A woman toward the rear of the crowd shouted out, "Is it true that your daughter was kidnapped prior to her adoption?"

Elizabeth again glanced at Kelly, who gave a curt nod, and she answered the question. "At the time I was told by my husband and the attorney handling the adoption that Jessica's birth mother had died in childbirth, and until the events of the last two weeks transpired, I never had reason to believe otherwise."

"Isn't it also true that your daughter is the sister of FBI agent Fox Mulder?"

"It is my understanding that DNA tests have determined that, yes."

Another male reporter in the middle of the crowd called out, "Have you or your daughter had any contact with your daughter's birth parents?"

"Unfortunately, the Mulders are deceased, so Jessica is unable to initiate a meeting."

"Why isn't your daughter here today, Senator?"

"I would not presume to speak on her behalf," Elizabeth evaded. "I spoke with Agent Mulder earlier today and informed him that I would be conducting this press conference. I assume that he passed the information along to Jessica and she chose not to be present for it."

From her position at the back of the crowd, Jessica stiffened at Elizabeth's remark and anger flickered across her refined features as she glanced at Mulder. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting nauseous just listening to her."

"You want to leave?" Doggett queried.

"Actually, I was thinking of making my own statement after all."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Mulder asked.

"Either that or I'm going to get my crutches out of the car and started whacking people," came the wry retort.

"Well we can't have that," Mulder responded lightly.

Excusing themselves from Scully and Doggett, Mulder and Jessica began to push their way through the crowd, hearing the murmurs ripple around them as they were recognized. Reaching the front of the crowd, brother and sister made their way to stand beside Elizabeth at the podium.

"Good afternoon, Senator," Jessica greeted with false cheer. "I hope you don't mind if we crash your party."

"Jessica," Elizabeth responded evenly. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Yes, well, life is full of little surprises, isn't it?"

"Lieutenant Doggett," Richard the reporter shouted. "Would you care to issue a response to your mother's statement?"

"Yes, I would. I'm certain many of you recognize me but for the record I am Jessica Caldwell Doggett and the gentleman beside me is my brother Fox Mulder. Now, as for the Senator's statement, most of what she told you is valid. Yes, it is true that until Scott was killed I was not aware that I was adopted and yes, it is true that I was born Christina Mulder. As to the woman I previously believed to be my mother, I am understandably angry and hurt that she chose to keep the truth from me. Not only did it prevent me from being able to seek out and know my birth parents prior to their deaths, it also cost my brother Scott his life. The men who are directly responsible are now in the hands of the legal system and I trust that justice will be served. In the meantime, Agent Mulder and I are adjusting to the events of the last several days and with the help of the people we love, are managing quite nicely."

"Agent Mulder, how did you feel when you discovered that Lieutenant Doggett was in fact your long-lost sister?" a reporter shouted.

"To be perfectly honest I was relieved that there was finally someone in my family who is better looking than I am," came the deadpan reply, earning Mulder a chuckle from the crowd.

"Lieutenant Doggett, have you spoken to the men who were arrested yesterday for their roles in your brother Scott's murder?"

"Yes. I was present when they were taken into custody."

"Have they offered any explanation for their actions?"

"Nothing that justifies murdering Scott," Jessica responded.

"Agent Mulder, do you or Lieutenant Doggett intend to press charges against Senator Caldwell?"

"Technically there really isn't anything we could charge her with," Mulder answered. "However, Lieutenant Doggett and I both feel that the Senator has paid a high enough price for her duplicity with the loss of her son."

Kelly chose that moment to step forward and put an end to the press conference. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we thank you for your time and interest, but it's time to end this little gathering. Senator Caldwell, Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder all have jobs that they need to get back to."

The crowd reluctantly took the hint and slowly began to disperse, talking amongst themselves as they did so. Once they were gone, Jessica started back down the steps with Mulder a step behind. She had only taken a few steps when Elizabeth called to her.

"Jessica, wait, please."

The lieutenant stopped and turned back toward her as Elizabeth walked over to stand in front of her. "We have to talk about this," she said.

"I have nothing else to say to you," came Jessica's icy response. "You made your choice the day you decided to let me live my life with a lie, a lie that cost Scott his life. From now on, I don't want to see you or hear from you for any reason."

Elizabeth blanched at the harsh declaration. "Whatever else I've done, Jessica, I've been a good mother…." she began, but Jessica cut her off.

"A good mother?" she repeated incredulously. "Your only son was assassinated because he knew too much about your secrets, Senator. Even if I could forgive that, I can't forget it. As far as I'm concerned, you're as dead to me as Scott is."

Without waiting for Elizabeth's response, Jessica turned her back on her and resumed her walk back to Scully and Doggett, Mulder close behind.

"You were 'relieved that there was finally someone in the family that was better looking than you'?" Scully repeated.

"It was a joke, Scully. I wasn't going to bare my soul just so that guy could get a thirty second sound bite for the evening news."

"I don't know if you made the situation better or worse by buttin' in on your mother's press conference," Doggett said to Jessica, "but I think you did a good job answerin' the questions they tossed at you."

"Thanks."

'Well we'd better get back to headquarters before Kersh sends out his bloodhounds to track us down," Mulder replied.

"Funny you should mention dogs…" Jessica began.

"Don't even go there, sweetheart," Doggett said.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"You were goin' to make a comment about wantin' to get a new dog to replace Trouble, and it ain't gonna happen. I like my rugs and my shoes in one piece, thank you."

"I also hope you like sleeping on the couch," Jessica retorted.

"C'mon, Jess…"

"Looks like the honeymoon's over before it's even started," Mulder remarked.

"Shut up, Mulder!" the others chorused.

When the Baron arrived at his home, Spender knew it wasn't a social call. His arrival had been a surprise, not only because Spender had not been forewarned of his coming, but because his own failing health made him no longer a threat to the other man's position. Despite the years and dirty deeds that bound them together, Spender knew only that the German man's surname was Stuckhold and that it was his financial empire that had founded the Syndicate in the years following World War II. As far back as Spender could recall he had been addressed simply as the Baron, as if he were above such trivialities as a given name.

"Baron," he greeted. "This is an unexpected surprise."

"Is it?" Stuckhold countered, his once thick German accent now tempered after his years in North Africa. "You forget with whom you are speaking. My intelligence network is as efficient as ever and given recent events they have certainly had much to report."

"Then you saw the Senator's press conference."

"Oh, yes. How convenient that she has managed to cover her tracks and convince Grant and his police lackey to take the fall for her."

"Do you want her eliminated?" Spender asked, and took a drag from his cigarette.

"No. Her position in the government may yet prove useful when we are ready to initiate our agenda at the higher levels. But Grant and the police detective have served their purpose and their sloppiness has forfeited their chances of a reprieve. I intend to ensure those particular loose ends are tied up as quickly as possible."

"What of Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder?"

"Agent Mulder will no doubt continue his quest to uncover the exact nature of the experiments you and his father conducted all those years ago," Stuckhold replied. "Lieutenant Doggett will be kept under continuous observation to determine how much of the genetic enhancement is still viable. Perhaps her impending remarriage will prove fruitful and we will be granted an opportunity to continue our efforts with a new generation."

"Then you've chosen not to proceed with the plans for Agent Mulder's son," Spender surmised.

"He may be a medical miracle but at the moment the child is of no use to us," Stuckhold replied. "After our attempts to manipulate his genetic development while he was still in his mother's womb proved unsuccessful, the decision was made to focus our efforts elsewhere. The revelation that Jessica Doggett is actually Christina Mulder will allow us the chance to do so."

"At the risk of pointing out the obvious, in order to get to Lieutenant Doggett you will need to not only go through Agent Mulder, but Agent Doggett as well. And if his skills are half as lethal as they are rumored to be, it could prove to be a fatal confrontation."

"I am well aware of the darker side of Agent Doggett's abilities, and for the time being I have no wish to put them to the test by taking further action against his wife. If and when it becomes necessary to place the lieutenant under direct observation, I will ensure that we are able to contain Agent Doggett."

"And in the meantime?" Spender prompted.

"In the meantime, I will be returning home to continue the preparations for my son's ascension to my place in the Syndicate," Stuckhold answered. "I find that my age is catching up with me and it is imperative that there is someone whom I can trust ready to assume my position."

"Of course."

"As long as we're on the subject of trust, I must say it was quite distressing to learn you had broken mine."

Spender's hand paused in midair, the cigarette smoldering between his fingers. "I'm afraid you've lost me."

"It's quite simple really. When you first told me that Senator Caldwell's son had stumbled onto the secret of his sister's true identity and you confessed that you had sold her to Grant all those years ago, I instructed you to ensure the secret was kept at any cost. Yet now it's public knowledge and the publicity has brought unwanted attention to members of our ranks."

"That wasn't my doing," Spender protested. "I had Scott Caldwell eliminated as soon as I could and personally directed the dissemination of the truth to Lieutenant Doggett and Agent Mulder. Grant and Senator Caldwell made the choice to confess to their crimes."

"Which they would not have needed to do if you had properly covered our tracks in the first place," Stuckhold countered. "I was willing to overlook your frequent games of cat and mouse with Agent Mulder over the years; each of us in the Syndicate has our own agenda and he seemed to be yours. But our work with Christina Mulder and the other infants was too important to risk exposure, and now the only surviving subject is front-page news. That is a lapse I cannot ignore."

Without giving Spender a chance to respond, Stuckhold withdrew a gun from beneath his coat and shot the other man through the middle of his forehead. The forgotten cigarette fell to the floor as Stuckhold replaced his gun and calmly exited the house.


	17. Chapter 17

**FALLS CHURCH – TWO WEEKS LATER**

After their final confrontation on the steps of the Senate Building, Jessica had severed all ties with Elizabeth and no longer spoke publicly about the events of thirty-eight years ago or the last 30 days. Lupen had been killed in jail while awaiting transfer to a federal penitentiary, and Grant allegedly had suffered a fatal heart attack a week after his confession. Fearing for her own safety, Elizabeth now made public appearances accompanied by a private bodyguard.

Although clearly still hurting from the loss of her brother and Elizabeth's deception, Jessica was relishing her reunion with John and the bond between she and Mulder continued to deepen. With the help of Mulder and the Gunmen, she had obtained a copy of her real Birth Certificate and gone through the process of legally changing her name from Christina Anne Mulder to Jessica Alexandra Doggett, officially eliminating Caldwell from her identity. With the issues surrounding Scott's death and her kidnapping resolved, Jessica and John were focusing their attention on plans for their upcoming remarriage.

Following an early church service, Jessica and Doggett had returned home for Christmas Eve dinner. Mulder and Scully had joined them at church but would not be arriving at the house until after dinner, as they needed to take home Margaret Scully, who had joined them for the service and been introduced to Jessica. Sarah and the children had been at church as well and had accepted Jessica's invitation to come to the house on Christmas Day. Seated side by side on the couch drinking hot cocoa as they awaited the arrival of Mulder and Scully, Jessica and Doggett were remembering the loved one who would not be with them this year.

"Scott always loved Christmas," Jessica remarked. "When the kids were little, he took them to the mall to see Santa Claus, and he watched all the TV specials with them. We used to have sing-along contests when Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman aired."

"The Christmas we spent in Beirut he drove our platoon crazy tryin' to make us learn the words to those songs," Doggett recalled. "By the time New Year's rolled around we were ready to slap a label on his head and airmail him back to Virginia."

"He had his moments," Jessica allowed, "but when the going got tough he was always there when you needed him."

"Semper Fi," Doggett replied quietly.

"Always faithful," Jessica translated. "He was. And he was responsible for bringing you into my life. That's a gift I never had the words to thank him for."

"He knew," Doggett assured her. "When he walked you down the aisle the day we got married, as he relinquished you to me he mouthed the words 'You're welcome'."

She smiled at that. "That sounds like Scott."

The ring of the doorbell interrupted their trip down memory lane and Doggett stood up. "That's probably Dana and Mulder," he said. "I'll let them in."

He placed a kiss on top of her head before making his way around the couch and heading to the front door. She heard the muffled voices as the trio exchanged greetings, and then the telltale thud of their footsteps as they came into the living room.

"We come bearing ice cream and Christmas gifts," Mulder announced.

"Where's that charming son of yours?" Jessica asked.

"Will fell asleep while we were driving my mom home so we decided to leave him with her," Scully told her, and set the gifts under the tree as Mulder headed into the kitchen to serve up the ice cream.

"He should probably rest while he can, because once Sarah's kids see him tomorrow you'll be lucky if you get him back before New Year's," Jessica replied. "All three of them adore babies."

"Really…do you think Sarah would let them baby-sit once in a while?" Scully asked.

"If you're okay with that I'm sure she would be. You can ask her tomorrow."

"If you and Mulder want to have a night to yourselves now and again, you're always welcome to leave the little guy with us," Doggett offered.

"Just so long as he doesn't start saying y'all or dropping the g's off his verbs," Mulder said dryly, and walked into the living room to hand ice cream laden bowls to Scully and Jessica.

"This from a man who can't be bothered to call the mother of his child by her first name," Doggett retorted.

"You call your wife what you want to, Agent...John," Mulder amended hastily at his sister's warning look. "I'll call mine what I want to."

Scully's spoon froze halfway to her mouth and Jessica exchanged a surprised look with Doggett as they all realized what Mulder had just said.

"Your _wife_?" Doggett prompted incredulously.

Scully shot Mulder a glare as he softly said, "Oops."

"You two are married?" Jessica queried.

"Well I suppose there's no reason to hide it now," Scully relented. "Yes, we're married."

"When did this happen?" Doggett pressed.

"Almost two years ago," the redhead answered. "After the artificial insemination failed and I believed I was never going to conceive, I began to slide into a mild depression. Mulder tried everything he could to snap me out of it, and finally wound up getting me a card that simply said 'Marry Me'."

"To which you responded with an unnecessary attack of the giggles I might add," Mulder interjected. "You thought I was just kidding around to cheer you up."

"Well proposing marriage as a ploy to make me feel better is certainly something you're capable of," Scully returned, and again spoke to Jessica and Doggett. "But once I realized he was serious, I pointed out that the Bureau wouldn't allow us to remain partners if we were married. So we decided to get married anyway but keep it a secret. We were married a month later in a civil ceremony in upstate New York, and aside from the judge who performed the ceremony my mother is the only one who knows the truth."

"And now the two of you know as well," Mulder added. "I trust that you'll respect and understand our need to keep it a secret."

"If you rescind your crack about our accents we might consider it," Jessica responded.

"I apologize for the slur against your accents," Mulder said obediently.

"Then your secret is safe with us," Jessica assured him.

"If you two are done playin' tit for tat, I think we should open the gifts," Doggett replied.

"Good idea," Scully agreed. "Mulder, you can be the official gift distributor."

"Why me?"

"Because you're the one who let the cat out of the bag about our marriage."

"Ah."

Rising to his feet, Mulder made his way around the coffee table and over to the Christmas tree. Bending down, he began reading the tags and handing the packages to the appropriate person, with the obvious exception of the family members who would not be at the house until the following day. Once all the gifts were sorted, he picked up his gifts and resumed his seat on the couch beside Scully.

"I'll go first," Jessica announced, and picked up the box containing her gift from Mulder. Tearing off the paper, she lifted the lid from the box and pushed aside the tissue paper to reveal a picture frame, placed face down in the box. Taking it out, she turned it over and froze at the picture inside the frame. It was a photograph that had obviously been taken prior to Jessica's abduction, as it showed a smiling Fox and Samantha seated outside, with an equally cheerful infant Jessica – then Christina – in Samantha's lap, and their parents standing behind them. Feeling her eyes well with tears, the lieutenant took a moment to rein in the flood of emotion flowing through her before shifting her gaze to Mulder. "Thank you," she said simply.

"Merry Christmas, Little Sister," Mulder returned gently.

"My turn," Scully declared, and unwrapped the small box that was her gift from Mulder. Inside the box was a small velvet case, and she stole a quick glance at Mulder before lifting the lid. Inside was a thin gold band laden with tiny emeralds, and Mulder reached over to withdraw the ring and slide onto the third finger of Scully's left hand. "I know part of our agreement was that we couldn't wear rings, but I wanted you to have this."

"It's beautiful, Mulder, thank you," Scully responded, and leaned over to give him a warm kiss.

The rest of the gifts were opened with appropriate pomp and circumstance – and Mulder's gift of the Robert A. Heinlein book "Stranger in a Strange Land" to Doggett had earned him frowns from his wife and sister, but a knowing smile from Doggett. The final gift to be opened was Jessica's gift to Doggett and she watched with quiet anticipation as he opened the box and discovered a double picture frame, closed in on itself.

"Pictures seem to be a family theme tonight," he remarked, and opened the frame, then went deathly still. He simply stared at the picture for a brief moment before reverently lifting it out of the box for closer inspection. The picture on the left was of a twenty-something Doggett and Scott in Marine attire, and had obviously been taken while they were serving together in the Corps. The picture on the right was of a thirty-something Doggett in profile, staring down at his infant son with wonder and love etched in his expression. The frame itself was engraved: under Scott's photo was Proverbs 17:17 – "A friend loves at all times"; under Luke's photo were Jesus' last words from Luke 23:43 – "'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.'"

"Where did you get these?" Doggett asked in a choked whisper.

"The picture of you and Scott I got from Sarah, and the picture of you and Luke was salvaged from one of the two boxes I had stored in my garage that survived the fire," Jessica revealed softly.

Unable to voice his emotions out loud, he continued to stare at the picture in silence for close to a full minute, until Jessica reached over to wipe away the lone tear that was trickling down his cheek. Her touch broke him out of his reverie and he lifted his head to flash her an adoring smile. "I love you," he declared.

"Me, too. Merry Christmas, Sunshine."

They exchanged a kiss as Mulder and Scully exchanged a smile.

The day before her remarriage to Doggett, Jessica had met Mulder for a late lunch and then he had taken her to the cemetery to visit their parents' grave. As Mulder watched in respectful silence, she approached the grave and laid a pair of white roses at the foot of the large marble headstone.

"Hello, Bill, Teena," Jessica greeted softly. "I hope somehow you can hear me, because it's important that I know you're listening. I suppose I should start by introducing myself. My name is Jessica Doggett, but I was born Christina Mulder, and I am your youngest daughter. After I was stolen from you thirty-nine years ago, I was adopted by a couple named Edward and Elizabeth Caldwell, and up until a couple of months ago I believed them to be my biological parents. But Fate has a way of revealing the truth, and after the death of my brother Scott Caldwell a series of events unfolded that led to the discovery of who I really am. Unfortunately, it also revealed my adopted parents' role in my abduction, throwing salt into the wounds of their deception. But it brought Fox and I together, and we seem to be managing this brother-sister thing quite nicely."

She paused a moment to glance over her shoulder and flash Mulder a smile, and then continued.

"For whatever its worth, until I found out about my abduction, I was quite happy. The Caldwells were a wealthy family, and I never wanted for anything. Their son Scott was the best brother I could have hoped for, and it was through him that I met a man named John Doggett, who completes my life in ways I never thought possible. We've had our own ups and downs, including the loss of our son Luke, but we've managed to come through it stronger than ever and will be getting remarried tomorrow. Fox calls it a Triple Threat Friday: Valentine's Day, my wedding day, and my real 39th birthday. Yet despite his irreverence for all things romantic, he finally married his own soulmate Dana and they have a one-year-old son, Will. I only wish that the two of you and Samantha were here to share in our joy."

She paused again, gathering her final thoughts before completing her speech.

"I never had the chance to know either of you, and I have no way of knowing how my life would have turned out if I had been raised as Christina Mulder instead of Jessica Caldwell. And I regret that other people's greed and ambition cost me the opportunity to befriend my birth parents. But the past cannot be undone, and I need to put it behind me in order to embrace my future. Coming here today and talking to you like this was the only way I could think of to gain that closure. Maybe someday when I leave this life, I'll get the chance to be your daughter again. Until then, I hope you know that I am happy, and safe, and loved. Rest in peace, Mom and Dad."

Finishing her remarks, Jessica bowed her head for a moment and said a silent prayer before turning to face Mulder. "Well, let's get going," she said. "I've got a wedding to get ready for."

"Lead on, Lieutenant."

Casting a final glance at the headstone, she allowed Mulder to escort her from the cemetery.

 **FALLS CHURCH - TEN DAYS LATER**

The evening after their return from their nine-day honeymoon in Fiji, Jessica and Doggett had agreed to baby-sit Will so Mulder and Scully could enjoy an evening out. Doggett was seated on couch reviewing case notes, while upstairs in the guest room Jessica put Will down for the night. Returning to the living room, Jessica made her way over to Doggett and promptly crawled onto the couch and settled herself across his lap.

"Will asleep?" Doggett asked, and set his file down before taking her hand in his.

"As soon as I put him down, he was out like a light," Jessica answered.

"Hence the expression 'sleep like a baby'," Doggett remarked, idly rubbing his thumb over her original wedding band and the slimmer identical one he had given her ten days earlier.

"Speaking of which…I have a favor to ask."

"What kind of favor?"

"Now that all of this business with Grant and Elizabeth is behind us, and you and I are officially together again, I want to try and have another baby."

Doggett's response was immediate and emphatic. "Absolutely not."

"John…"

"This isn't open for debate, Jess. If you want more kids than we can adopt or become foster parents, but you nearly died after the second miscarriage. I won't risk that happenin' again even if by some miracle you were to get pregnant."

"Be reasonable, John. It's been ten years; the advances they've made may very likely have made it possible for me to conceive and safely carry the child to term."

He lifted his hand to gently place his palm against her cheek, the cold metal of his platinum wedding band a stark contrast to the warmth of his hand. "I know how much you want to be a mother again, sweetheart, and under different circumstances I'm all for it. But I've watched you come close to dyin' twice and I couldn't handle it a third time. And I won't watch you agonize over your decision if you do wind up havin' another miscarriage."

His tone made it evident he would not be swayed, and Jessica reluctantly let the subject drop. Just then the doorbell rang, and husband and wife exchanged a curious look.

"Are we expecting anyone tonight?" Jessica asked.

"Not as far as I know," Doggett said.

She slid off her husband's lap and he stood up, then hand in hand they walked over to open the door.

"Surprise!" Mulder and Scully chorused.

They stood on the front porch, each holding a Saint Bernard puppy with a blue bow around its neck.

"What on earth…?" Jessica began and reached over to confiscate the puppy in Scully's arms.

"They're belated wedding gifts," Scully explained. "We couldn't give them to you until after you took your honeymoon."

"A pair of candlesticks would have been more practical," Doggett muttered.

"But not nearly as adorable," Jessica countered, and began cooing at the puppy she held as the foursome made their way into the living room. "So I take it we got recruited to baby-sit so you two could pick up the puppies?"

"Yes," Scully confirmed.

"These were the last two left in the litter, so we decided to get one from each of us for each of you," Mulder clarified, and handed the puppy he held to Doggett.

"I suppose it would have been too much to ask that you got dogs that will grow up to weigh two hundred pounds together, let alone separately."

"Blame your wife, John. She's the one who likes them to outweigh her."

"Well I for one think they are just precious," Jessica declared. "Do they have names yet?"

"That's your department," her sister-in-law replied. "Mulder's suggestions were straight out of sci-fi central casting."

"Kirk and Spock?" Doggett prompted.

"Han and Luke," Mulder clarified.

"Spooky and Semper Fi," Jessica announced suddenly, and the others turned to look at her. "What? Spooky is obvious, and Semper Fi for John and Scott. Can you think of a better name for a dog than Always Faithful?"

Doggett shook his head. "I can't believe we're gonna have two of these pony sized dogs runnin' around our house," he grumbled.

"Oh quit fussing and just admit you think they're cute," Jessica scolded.

"Of course they're cute, but after they put on a hundred and ninety pounds or so and are droolin' on every pair of pants we own, that ain't gonna matter."

"Gee, John, I'd think you'd be used to male animals drooling on your wife by now," Mulder quipped.

"Very funny, Spooky."

Jessica glanced at Scully. "Remind me again why we married these clowns?"

"Love is blind?" Scully suggested.

"Ouch," Mulder said. "That hurts, Scully."

"The truth usually does, Mulder," Scully responded.

 **EPILOGUE: SOMEWHERE IN THE MEXICAN DESERT – SIX MONTHS LATER**

"Is it done?"

"Yes. Once I have finished with him, Agent Doggett won't know his own mother."

"What of the preparations for Lieutenant Doggett and her child?"

"Everything is in place. All that is needed is for Lieutenant Doggett to conceive and our plan can be set into motion."

"Excellent."

 **Finis**

 **The saga will continue in "Legacy"….**


End file.
